Crash Nightmare

Friday, July 20th, I was really excited to finally be driving home from work at around 10:15 PM. I got in my car and thought about how much I love my little red civic. (I literally thought this everytime i got in my car since the day i bought it.) Then I was driving south on state street when I heard a loud noise that sounded like a train, which caught my attention immediately because there are no trains near there so I turned off my radio and became really alert. I instantly got a bad feeling, which made me very aware of everything going on around me. I heard the train noise a few more times over the next 30 seconds or so, and then up ahead a woman in a silver SUVwho had "been scared by the noise" turned left, straight into oncoming traffic (ME!). To avoid the oncoming car, a huge black SUV in the lane on the left of me sharply swerved right, so I immediately (almost seemed simultaneous) swerved right just in time to narrowly miss being run over by the SUV. The black SUV overturned and went way too far right, and I was run off the road by these two vehicles, both driven by crazy women in killer SUVs.

There was a loud bump as my civic bounced over the curb and crashed through a two foot high brick wall, then through a barbed wire fence and stopped at a tractor. I don't really remember plowing through those things, it all happened so fast I just felt like I was slamming my face into a wall three times in a row. My car came to a stop and my car was full of dust and the smell of burnt rubber from the airbags. I just sat there and looked at my car in shock. "No, no PLEASE not again! I ruined my last car, and i love this car so much, please let it be drivable again!" I didn't know what to do now. I tried to open my door but the tractor blocked it from opening. Then the passenger door opened and a little asian man grabbed me and yanked me out of the car. "No wait, i need to put my shoes on!" But he didn't listen and i was already out of the car. So i walked across the barbed wire fence barefoot and through all the sticks and brush to the sidewalk where a small group of people were gathered. They kept asking me if I was okay, and i didn't really know what to say. I was in one piece but i was in shock and couldn't really feel anything. I wished i had someone I knew with me to tell these people if I was okay because i didn't know for sure. I thought about calling someone to help me but I didn't know who to call. Jake (guy i'm dating) was at work, I was a half hour away from Provo, and most my close friends were in California or other places. Everyone said, "OH my gosh you are so lucky to be alive! We are so lucky we are all okay! This is a miracle!!!" I looked at my crumpled car and didn't feel lucky or miraculous at all. I didn't care that I was okay, i just wanted my car to be back to how it was before. (maybe that's abnormal but that was my thought process). How was I supposed to go to work at 6:30 AM the next morning? NO one there cared about that though. The woman who was in the black SUV was hysterically yelling about the silver SUV that had been on the wrong side of the road.

The cops came and pulled me aside to ask me what happened. At first he was a jerk, "What direction were you going? hmm.... everyone else is claiming you were on the opposite side of the road, so what do you have to say to that? Have you been drinking?" Later he admitted he had gotten the stories confused. My neck hurt really bad, I kept touching it, expecting there to be blood. The cops called the tow truck and got everyone's information/testimonies. At the end, one nicer cop told me it had been the silver SUV's fault (a flustered hispanic woman) because it had been on the wrong side of the road. The hispanic lady came up to me with tears in her eyes and said she was very sorry. I gave her a hug and told her i was okay. The black SUV that almost hit me took me home because i didn't know how to get back to provo. I talked to Dad when i was on my way home, so it was a bit awkward telling the story in the car with the people that almost killed me. A little boy, around 4 or 5 in the backseat said, "I was so scared, i started crying! I thought mommy and daddy were going to go to jail!"

I got home and was relieved when Jake came over; finally i was with someone i knew. He put my filthy dirty feet in his lap and patiently sat with tweezers and picked out all the splinters and pieces of glass.

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Recently I have taken the term "defensive driver" to an extreme. I am constantly afraid cars will suddenly swerve at me or try to run me over. Ever since the accident I say a prayer everytime I get in a car and always order people to wear their seatbelts. (Luckily I have always worn mine). The last two and a half weeks since the accident it has been awful not having a car and dealing with horrible migraines, either from the accident or stress of everything else going on right now.

I am very grateful to everyone who has helped me. When you get in trouble, it is interesting to see which of your friends step up and are willing to help. The family has been very helpful. Dad and Ryan are spending lots of time looking at cars online, Chad talked to his lawyer friend and Rachel talked to her insurance friend right away, Eric has called to check up several times, Deborah has helped with the insurance mess, and Brett has sent messages to see how I'm doing. Thanks for all the help, I didn't know what to do on my own. I'm glad I have such an awesome family and so many other blessings.