June 14, 2022, is a day I will never forget.
What started out as a wonderful day to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary crashed hard around 9:15 am.
My husband and I had taken the day off from work to spend the day together but I had an early morning dentist appointment to get out of the way first. After more than an hour of numbing, poking, prodding, drilling, and filling, I was on my way home to begin our day of celebrations.
Just 2 blocks from the dentist those plans changed in a matter of seconds as did my outlook on life in general.
In some rural small towns, there are unregulated intersections. This means there are no lights or signs. Not even a yield sign. On this bright sunny Tuesday morning, an elderly man coming from the East T-boned me on the driver’s side of my 6-month-old of 2022 Ford Explorer. At the very last second, I saw it coming and braced for the impact. What I didn’t brace for or expect was that my car was going to roll over onto its top. Yep, he hit me on the driver’s side, and because of where he hit me, and my passenger tire being pushed against to the curb, my car proceeded to roll to the passenger side and then to its top. This all seemed to happen in slow motion yet it was completely disorienting and traumatizing. One second I am planning to go home and enjoy the day with my husband and the next I am hanging upside down in my car. My car was calling 911, the man that hit me was asking if I was ok and trying to open my door, and I could hear the sirens coming.
Luckily, I was by myself and I walked away without any physical injuries. I was briefly monitored in the ambulance due to high blood pressure but I wouldn’t be human if that ride hadn’t made my blood pressure high.
The man that hit me also walked away uninjured. This was a complete accident. He was not driving irrationally but he should have yielded to me as I was to his right and also had complete possession of the intersection.
Looking back, I think I may have been in shock because I was so calm through the entire situation. Although, I am sure I dropped the F-bomb a couple of times. I was able to call my husband and he was able to get to me within 20 minutes. Once I saw him, I broke down in tears. I knew then and there how very lucky I was to be walking away from the scene with the man that I loved and not being rushed off to the hospital or worse.
Happy Anniversary Honey! I just totaled my new car. The first new car I’ve ever owned. He was not at all concerned about the car and only concerned that I was truly ok. While he doesn’t show his emotions often, I could see him watching me out of the corner of his eye.
We have gotten through our 30 years together with humor on our side and this day was no different. He was hopeful that the accident would make me cancel our family photo session that was scheduled for later that day. I told him that as long as there was no blood or bruises on my face that we were in fact still doing pictures. The officer on site laughed and told my husband “Nice try buddy”!
When going to the tow yard to collect all my belongings from the car we laughed because my gas tank said 8 miles to empty. I told him to be thankful that I didn’t have a full tank. He said, “that’s nothing new”.
We did have to cancel part of our day’s plans but I was very insistent that we were going to have pictures and dinner with our family. My emotions were running high and I needed to be with my kids, grandchild, and my mom. During that photo shoot, I cried numerous times because I was so overwhelmed with what could have been a different outcome. I was thankful, grateful, and blessed to be able to be with them.
So in one day’s time, I truly learned how fragile life is and that it can change in just a matter of seconds. I’ve always known this but truly experiencing it makes it mean so much more.
Let this be a lesson to you. Don’t walk out that door or hang up that phone without saying I love you to those you love because you just never know if you’ll get another chance.
PS I can’t speak highly enough about my Ford Explorer. For me to walk away without a single scratch, I’d say it did its job in protecting me and I will be getting another one as soon as I can. Sadly, due to the current car crisis, it’s taking longer than I’d like.