We're staying at a nice RV park in Coos Bay, Oregon. On April 21 at 3:30 in the morning, we're awakened by a man standing in the doorway of our bedroom yelling "Gimme your fucking wallets!" Before we could react or even respond, he assaulted us with a large stick first hitting Ron, then whacking Mike over the head and breaking the stick he used as a weapon. When he did that, Ron went ballistic, started fighting with him and eventually wrangled him outside. He then calmly walked away. Ron then set off the car alarm and called 911.
We assume he was a drug addict (we're guessing Meth since he was acting maniacal and not in a normal state of mind). We didn't hear him break in (our TV was still on) nor did Gaylord bark. It was a random act and we don't believe it was premeditated or a hate crime. We actually think he was surprised to find two old queens as opposed to your typical trailer park couple.
We were both injured, our coach was in something of a bloody mess and some things were broken. Police and ambulances arrived fairly quickly and we were taken to the hospital. Ron had two bad cuts, one above his eye and one on the head which required stitches and staples. Mike had a large cut on his forehead (ten stitches) and a mild concussion. He also suffered some minor cuts and bruises as he had lost his balance on the steps and fell while exiting the coach due to impaired sight from the blood in his eyes.
The local police and park management were extremely professional and helpful in our recovery and crime investigation. In the 21-year history of the park, although they've had some thefts, this was the first incident of this type. The police got DNA and fingerprint evidence and they're confident they'll eventually catch the perpetrator.
The local police and park management increased nightime surveillance and we weren't afraid to stay put while we healed our wounds, contacted our insurance.
We are both doing fine now and back to enjoying our incredible RV adventure. No PTSD - yet. In hindsight, we'll make sure our deadbolt is thrown and we'll keep car keys next to our bed to set off the car alarm in an emergency. We won't buy a gun. This could have happened to anyone, anywhere, including back home in our house in Wilton Manors. Drug addiction is everywhere and we were lucky there wasn't a more lethal weapon available to either the addict or us. Stay safe out there! Update note: We were going to delete this blog entry, but decided after some discussion to keep it as it is part of the history of our trip. We also wanted to make those that read this blog, America has a drug problem, and we all need to be diligent! This not a localized problem, this could have happened anywhere!
We assume he was a drug addict (we're guessing Meth since he was acting maniacal and not in a normal state of mind). We didn't hear him break in (our TV was still on) nor did Gaylord bark. It was a random act and we don't believe it was premeditated or a hate crime. We actually think he was surprised to find two old queens as opposed to your typical trailer park couple.
We were both injured, our coach was in something of a bloody mess and some things were broken. Police and ambulances arrived fairly quickly and we were taken to the hospital. Ron had two bad cuts, one above his eye and one on the head which required stitches and staples. Mike had a large cut on his forehead (ten stitches) and a mild concussion. He also suffered some minor cuts and bruises as he had lost his balance on the steps and fell while exiting the coach due to impaired sight from the blood in his eyes.
The local police and park management were extremely professional and helpful in our recovery and crime investigation. In the 21-year history of the park, although they've had some thefts, this was the first incident of this type. The police got DNA and fingerprint evidence and they're confident they'll eventually catch the perpetrator.
The local police and park management increased nightime surveillance and we weren't afraid to stay put while we healed our wounds, contacted our insurance.
We are both doing fine now and back to enjoying our incredible RV adventure. No PTSD - yet. In hindsight, we'll make sure our deadbolt is thrown and we'll keep car keys next to our bed to set off the car alarm in an emergency. We won't buy a gun. This could have happened to anyone, anywhere, including back home in our house in Wilton Manors. Drug addiction is everywhere and we were lucky there wasn't a more lethal weapon available to either the addict or us. Stay safe out there! Update note: We were going to delete this blog entry, but decided after some discussion to keep it as it is part of the history of our trip. We also wanted to make those that read this blog, America has a drug problem, and we all need to be diligent! This not a localized problem, this could have happened anywhere!
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