Crash!

On Friday I was on my way home from work when Julie called and told me we were having dinner with our neighbors.  I was pumped!  I continued driving home along a 2-lane highway when the car ahead of me started slowing down at an intersection.  He wasn’t using his signal and for some reason I assumed was going to turn right, so I passed him on the left as there were no cars coming the opposite direction.  Well, he ended up turning left, straight into the rear driver’s side panel.  I slammed on the brakes as I realized this was going to happen and tried to swerve away, but it was no use.  I headed straight for the ditch.  It didn’t really happen in slow motion, but when he hit me, I thought, “crap, I’m in an accident!”  As I headed into the ditch, I thought, “double crap, I’m in the ditch!”  Not in those exact words.  

The ditch was next to a farm and there was a “land bridge” connecting the farm with the highway.  I felt a thump as I landed in the bottom of the ditch and another thump as I ran into the land bridge.   Since my windows were opened, my car was filled with cattail fuzzies.  I got out and made sure the other guy was OK.  He wore a muscle shirt that said, “F— yeah” and didn’t look like someone who’d order an orange mocha frappuccino.  He didn’t seem too angry.  His Ford Escort only had a dented fender.  

I called the police and waited for 45 minutes until a trooper from Ypsilanti (30 miles away, going with rush hour traffic) could get there.  Meanwhile, a few people from work stopped by as the accident site was between work and Chelsea, where they live.    They were all very kind.  It was pretty clear I passed in a no passing zone, so I ended up with a ticket.  Just as my car was towed away, Julie showed up and it was so good to see her.  

After dinner and the drive home, I decided to go to the ER, as my chest was very sore.  Thankfully, it’s just bruised.  It’s nice to have a hospital right across the street!  Especially when I didn’t make it out of there until 12:30am.

So, no more crazy maneuvers like that!

The car is beat up, but I’m thinking it may be salvageable.  The front bumper is a bit beat up, but the radiator is pushed into the engine.  I had tried starting the car in the ditch, but it didn’t sound too good as it ran.  The driver side window is also broken.  There’s a nice dent in the rear side panel.  We’ll see how much it is to fix.  

I’m thankful to be alive!  Praise God!