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prosodicThe weather yesterday was much like the weather on July 4, 1995...severe storms and pouring rain.
How do I remember this? Well, that was the date of the car accident that very easily could have killed me - July 4, 1995. That day is one of those days in my life that will forever be stamped on my memory - one of those things in my life that is still painful to talk about and remember. That is one of the reasons why I threw out the pictures of my totalled car, even though my Mom feels strongly that I should've kept them.
I remember so many details of that day vividly, and other details I don't remember so much. But I remember the song that was playing on my stereo when the accident happened - Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" - I remember the EMT joking about the For Sale sign in my car window and how my car would no longer fit the "Like New" description. I remember a man dying on the gurney next to mine in the emergency room. There is so much I remember.
July 4th isn't so much a day for me to celebrate my freedoms. It's a day for me to celebrate the fact that I'm still alive. There were so many variables that could've resulted in tragedy if they had turned out any differently.
The canoe in the bed of the truck that I hit could've come through my windshield and decapitated me, instead of skidding over the top of my car, just inches above my head.
If I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt, I would've doubtless been thrown partially through my windshield, but I think my chest injuries would've been more severe (and probably fatal). As it was, I cracked my sternum and bruised my heart, and I had to be hooked up to a heart monitor overnight at the hospital because the doctor feared I could go into cardiac arrest at any moment.
It's very fortunate that I didn't get cut to ribbons. My car's windows imploded (that's how my mom described it afterwards). The only blood I had on me was blood from the EMT, who cut himself when he was getting into the car.
This accident is the main reason that I'm such a skittish driver today...the reason that I try to avoid driving in inclement weather as much as I possibly can. (I saw the accident happen right in front of me, and when I braked, my car hydroplaned and became part of it).
A week after my accident, I was still recuperating, but capable of driving. My dad gave me the keys to his Ford Escort, telling me that "when you fall off the horse, you have to get back on again." I know...I know. But while driving back to my apartment, the car died in the very same place where I had my accident. Fortunately for me, there was a Highway Patrol car right behind me. I coasted into the construction zone to keep out of traffic and he pulled in behind me. By the time he got to my window, I was sobbing. He couldn't understand what I was so upset about, but then I told him. So he called my dad to come and get me, and then he called a tow truck.
I still flinch whenever I drive on that part of the freeway.
How do I remember this? Well, that was the date of the car accident that very easily could have killed me - July 4, 1995. That day is one of those days in my life that will forever be stamped on my memory - one of those things in my life that is still painful to talk about and remember. That is one of the reasons why I threw out the pictures of my totalled car, even though my Mom feels strongly that I should've kept them.
I remember so many details of that day vividly, and other details I don't remember so much. But I remember the song that was playing on my stereo when the accident happened - Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" - I remember the EMT joking about the For Sale sign in my car window and how my car would no longer fit the "Like New" description. I remember a man dying on the gurney next to mine in the emergency room. There is so much I remember.
July 4th isn't so much a day for me to celebrate my freedoms. It's a day for me to celebrate the fact that I'm still alive. There were so many variables that could've resulted in tragedy if they had turned out any differently.
The canoe in the bed of the truck that I hit could've come through my windshield and decapitated me, instead of skidding over the top of my car, just inches above my head.
If I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt, I would've doubtless been thrown partially through my windshield, but I think my chest injuries would've been more severe (and probably fatal). As it was, I cracked my sternum and bruised my heart, and I had to be hooked up to a heart monitor overnight at the hospital because the doctor feared I could go into cardiac arrest at any moment.
It's very fortunate that I didn't get cut to ribbons. My car's windows imploded (that's how my mom described it afterwards). The only blood I had on me was blood from the EMT, who cut himself when he was getting into the car.
This accident is the main reason that I'm such a skittish driver today...the reason that I try to avoid driving in inclement weather as much as I possibly can. (I saw the accident happen right in front of me, and when I braked, my car hydroplaned and became part of it).
A week after my accident, I was still recuperating, but capable of driving. My dad gave me the keys to his Ford Escort, telling me that "when you fall off the horse, you have to get back on again." I know...I know. But while driving back to my apartment, the car died in the very same place where I had my accident. Fortunately for me, there was a Highway Patrol car right behind me. I coasted into the construction zone to keep out of traffic and he pulled in behind me. By the time he got to my window, I was sobbing. He couldn't understand what I was so upset about, but then I told him. So he called my dad to come and get me, and then he called a tow truck.
I still flinch whenever I drive on that part of the freeway.