Well...thanks for caring. When I read through the last page of venting, it just showed me how much I have to be thankful for in my life.
I didn't carry coll/comp, just liability, but remember it's a really old car '92, so it's a calculated trade off I'll bear. It's a little harder to bear right now because I'm unemployed (hopefully temporarily).
What I learned: insurance goes by the car, not the driver. The driver had liability/comp and collision insurance. (I think I knew that at some point earlier in life.) Exception--if you have liability/comp/coll, rent a car, your insurance will cover the rental--always check that with your insurer before you rent.
Insurance trivia not related to today's accident: did you know that in WI and I believe FL, if you are hit by a car, and the car's driver has a heart attack prior to losing control (so he's dead), his insurance does not have to pay. The reasoning is that the insurance only covers living drivers. I checked this with the Insurance commissioner of our state, and this is true. We went through this years ago.
So in trying to remain cheerful in the face of this--don't lend out your car unless you are willing to lose it if it isn't fully insured--and don't get hit by a dead driver.