Two weeks ago I was in a pretty serious automobile accident. Totaled my car on a street near my house. I wasn't going more than 10 miles an hour when I was hit...or maybe I hit him. It happened so fast I am not really sure who hit who first; let's just say our cars met at some point.
I have been driving since 1987...I realize I am dating myself now but I also realize how lucky I am that this was my first serious accident. I am also saying a quick prayer than I haven't just jinxed myself by typing that out loud.
It happened so fast.
I was headed to the chiropracter (ironic, right?). Got to a stop sign, stopped and looked to my left and right. I was going to turn left. When I looked left and right, I didn't see any cars, so I went. There was a car coming from the left that I didn't see, there were parked cars blocking my view.
You know how when you see something shocking, your brain says, "What the hell?!!?" It happened so fast, my brain could only muster "What the?!!?" then BAM! Did you know that airbags deploy in a fraction of a second? And they smoke? Trust me when I tell you, you don't need to experience the deployment of airbags. Did you know that seatbelts lock on impact in order to keep what they are holding from flying around the inside of the car? And they leave the most spectacular bruises. Shades of purple I have never seen before.
It happened so fast.
I drove a Hyundai Sonata--her name was Stella (yes, I name my cars). I cannot say enough about airbag technology. I was basically encased in airbags when my car came to rest up over the curb on the other side of the street I was trying to turn onto. Did you know I am claustrophobic? I didn't know how claustrophobic until I was encased in airbags.
The entire front end of my car shattered...they're mostly made of plastic these days, designed to break up on impact and absorb the force of the crash. Did I mention I wasn't going that fast? There was actually a piece of styrofoam behind my front bumper that helped absorb the impact of a crash.
It happened so fast.
I live in a town that is basically bisected by a set of railroad tracks. I live on one side, my chiropractor is on the other. I purposefully leave 30 minutes before my appointment which is 7 minutes away so that I don't have to rush. I wasn't on the phone...I was just singing with the radio as I am known to do...Ed Sheeran-The Shape of You. I've been turning it off since the accident, it makes me anxious. The type A in me keeps trying to figure it out, why didn't I see the other car? It happened so fast.
2 weeks out and I am less terrified when I drive. I haven't traveled the accident route yet, and I might not again. I lean a little to the right in the driver's seat and I drive on the right side of my lane...hopefully that will ease over time. I am grateful that bruises fade and aches and pains subside eventually (hopefully soon). I am grateful that with the exception of the night of the crash, I am sleeping OK; stress for me often manifests in insomnia.
It happened so fast.
I am getting a new car in the next couple of days...wish I could say I was excited about it. Tossing around Chloe, Tess, and Trudy for names...I'll know when I see it. Edited to add...bought a 2018 Hyundai Kona...her name is Ruby.
It's ironic to me that something that happened so fast will more than likely haunt me forever.
