Car accidents happen to everyone who owns or drives a car. I know, that's a fact of life.
I've been driving for a short while. And I've always been a decent driver. I kept telling myself two things: watch out for deer (because of where I live, a lot of people hit deer) and never, EVER hit another car where it's my own fault and/or someone dies.
Fine. Whatever.
I was in a car accident last Wednesday and have a hole in my lung because of it (and will have to go in for surgery and etc, etc, etc).
It was a four car collision and it wasn't my fault.
However, I am still another teen statistic.
The car in front of me slipped out of control and was hit by an oncoming car who couldn't stop in time. I, therefore, hit the oncoming car and the three cars went spinning. A car hit me from behind and another car hit /that/ car.
Of all that were involved, three cars (including my 2006 Hyundai Elantra) were totaled. The car that hit me from behind had $17,000 worth of damage.
No one was hurt. We all walked out from the accident (with minor bruises, etc, from airbags).
Ironically enough, the scariest part wasn't the actual accident.
The scariest part was trying to get the guy that /I/ hit out of his own vehicle.
I just remember scrambling out of my car ASAP and running over to his vehicle (totaled, of course) and trying to open his car doors. I couldn't get a single door open because he was hit on both sides. His car was little squashed inward. I couldn't get him out!! I was crying and screaming and yanking at the door handles and he was crying and trying to get the doors to open. None of the four doors would open.
Okay, so maybe I don't know much about cars, but all that I could think about were those stupid Hollywood films in which people died because they got stuck in their cars when the engines exploded.
There was NO WAY I was going to have someone die. Fuck no, I wanted to get him out of there. I went around the car and aimed a kick at his passenger side backseat window. The first time, nothing happened. I kicked again and again. The glass finally cracked (adrenaline flowing, blood pumping). I swung back my purse (which I had grabbed from the vehicle by this time) and smashed it as hard as I could into the window. The glass shattered finally and, with the help of a witness, I pulled him through the window and got him out. My heart was racing and I felt faint with relief.
He hugged me, thanked me (though I totaled his car) and I went to the hospital in tears to get xrays (had chest pains, etc).
Even though I totaled his car, he was incredibly nice to me. He said it was okay, it wasn't my fault (I know it wasn't, the weather was shitty, but still). He could have been angry and upset and furious but no - he was calm once he was out of the car, cool, collected, a little shaky, but relieved. We checked the other passengers together and found everyone to be okay (we didn't check the fourth car because I didn't even know of the fourth car until I went to the hospital and the police told me another car was involved; I had been too focused on hitting the car in front of me that I didn't notice I was hit from behind as well). I was also told that a fifth car was involved but that they had fled the scene.
As far as I know, everyone in all the cars walked out okay with minor bruising.
A four car (almost five) collision and we all lived. We. All. Fucking. Lived. We're alive. ALIVE. And grateful. No one was yelling at anyone else. No one blamed or accused anyone else. We were all just thankful it wasn't worse.
Three cars totalled, one almost totalled, five cars involved and only did we suffer from minor bruises.
Someone has a plan for us.
Someone wanted us alive.
All I know is that I've never been more thankful in my entire life.
Unknown "Juu" Emo
- 16 years, 10 months, 9 days ago