I had a really long day at work that day. I got off late because we kept getting busy, and I didn't have time to get my chores done to leave (rolling silverware, etc). I finally got off, and I waited around to buy a piece of carrot cake because I just wanted to go home and relax and eat my carrot cake. I said by to my managers and co-workers, went outside and called Matt to complain about work, and then I started to drive home.
I drive home on a 4 lane high way, with 2 lanes going in each direction. The speed limit on this highway is 55 MPH, and there is a median going down the center for specific sides of the highway to make U-Turns. As I came down a hill and could literally see the stoplight where I turn to go home, I realized that there was something red in the lane. I could not see the car lights because it was perfectly perpendicular to my car. I was confused for a split second, and then I realized that there was a red car going directly across the lanes I was driving with. My first instinct was to turn the wheel, but thank God I did not do that. If I had turned the wheel left, I would have hit the cement median going 55 MPH, and I probably would have flipped my car. If I had turned my car right, I would have thrown my side of the car into his car at 55 MPH.
Instead, I cried out, braked my car as hard I could (brake to the floor) and braced myself for impact. My thoughts before I hit the car was that this was going to be how I died-in my Cracker Barrel uniform at the start of my senior year. It was the scariest moment of my entire life. I remember the tires squealing, hearing the loud crash from our cars colliding, and hearing a loud explosion as the airbags went off. I remember seeing the teens in the other car jolt when I struck their car (they were completely stopped in the road), and I remember seeing the powder from the airbags through the air (I thought my vision was blurry from head damage haha).
Whenever I hit their car, my airbags went off, my windshield shattered, my car doors and trunk popped open, my windows fell inside the doors, my car shifted into reverse, my rear view mirror fell off, and my radio flew off. I screamed so loudly when this all happened, and then I jumped out of my car to see if they were okay. They were all okay, but then a girl in the other car started screaming "Oh my god she is pouring blood!" Well, if you know me, you know that me and my blood don't mix. As soon as she said that, I collapsed on the ground and cried my eyes out. Apparently, there was blood pouring out of my mouth, off of my face and neck, and pouring down my uniform.
The next few moments are still a blur. I remember cops and paramedics arriving, and hearing their sirens. I remember people trying to get me to stop crying/screaming. I remember panicking to find my phone (which was thrown out of my car) and trying to call Matt because I just needed to hear his voice. In my confused state, I realized the car was sitting across from a Do Not Enter sign and I couldn't figure out what was going on and whether or not I caused the wreck. Luckily for me, 2 Marines fresh from Iraq stopped to help because they heard a girl screaming (me). One of them wrapped me in his arms, and squeezed me tightly and told me to breath deeply and squeeze him because it would calm me down and stop me from hyperventilating. This took at least 10 minutes for me to calm down. The Marines gave me basic first aid while we waited for the paramedics, and made me follow their fingers with my eyes and tell them about school/work/my family. I kept telling them I was fine, just scared, because at the time I was in shock and felt no pain. When the paramedics got there, they wanted me to immediately get in the ambulance and go to the hospital, but I didn't want to leave my car with my textbooks and money and parking passes. So I said I would have my brother take me and they left.
Once I was calmed down, the police talked to me. However, the police officer insisted that he did not need my story because it was clear what happened. I was so freaked out because I thought it was my fault, but the cop told me I had nothing to worry about.
Here is what happened: The other car (A red glitter Cadillac) attempted to make a left turn onto the highway. The turn was an illegal turn, and there was a sign that even said "No Left Turn." Where he turned into the median to make the turn, there was a "Do Not Enter" sign. His friends in the car even told him it was an illegal turn, yet he still made the turn. Then he realized he couldn't make the turn, and attempted to put the car into reverse. And that's when someone in the car screamed because they saw me coming at them, and they heard my tires squealing.
Basically, I was found to be zero percent at fault and there was nothing I could do to stop the wreck from happening.
My brother came (the Marines called him for me) and I have NEVER been so happy to see him in my life. Kristina, my roommate also came as soon as I called. She helped me clean out my car and reminded me to save me expensive parking passes. They towed my car (which I thought was drivable for some reason). My brother and Kristina took me home.
When I got home, the pain started to hit me. And I saw my self in the mirror which did not help. Kristina ended up taking me to the hospital around 11:30 or so, and I was there until the next morning. I guess my injuries appeared to not be so bad, because they kept putting everyone in the ER ahead of me. When I was finally taken back, the nurses put me on a Morphine drip pretty fast.
Matt arrived around 3 AM, and he got to rub my back while I threw up from the needles (yuck). I had x-rays done of my hand, and a CT Scan of my abdomen. The conclusions were that I had a mass on my L5 in my spine, a fractured wrist, sprained wrist and pinky finger, lacerations on my lips and inside my mouth, abrasions and burns across my arms and neck, and bruising across my abdomen. I feel like this is nothing compared to how much worse the accident could have been. Luckily no one was killed, and everyone walked away from the wreck.
All of my injuries were from my seat belt and airbag....but had it not been for either of those things, I probably would have hit my head on the steering wheel or windshield...I can't even bring myself to think about what would have happened if I had not worn a seat belt or the airbags had not have gone off.
My poor car was totaled. I will talk about the aftermath of the wreck in my next post.
The front of my car looks pretty good considering how hard I hit. I wish I got a picture of their car...it was awful.
Only major damage on my front.
Shattered windshield.
Passenger side airbag.
Where I was sitting.
Arm had to be in that temporary cast for a week, luckily I did not need a real cast.
This is the only thing that left a scar. It's from the airbag.
