Check out Mountain Equipment Coop...some great gloves that seem to last really well. Several guys in our group wear them and we all seem to be happy with them.
Good customer service does seem to have gone out the window at most shops...I can't stand it when dealers act like they're doing you a favour by letting you spend money at their shop!
Does it really matter that it was on a back road and not the highway? We need to be smart about how and where we ride. There are way too many careless people out there and we can't be leaving it to the other riders/drivers out there to watch out for us...