my attempt at an accurate depiction of saturday
So, i am making a left turn into the Office Max/Kmart parking lot across the street from Cingular and Audio Express. there is a right turn lane directly in front of me. Because there are 5 or 6 cars waiting to turn right, i cannot see into the the fast lane, but i can clearly see the slow lane. I sit there waiting to be able to see for about 2 minutes. the slow lane has been clear for like 10 seconds and no cars have came by in the fast lane, So i proceed with my turn. All of a sudden a car comes speeding at me at about 55 in the fast lane. I speed up to make it into the parking lot. Unfortunately the driver of the other car didn't know i was going to speed up so he swerved through the slow lane and into the parking lot trying to avoid me. He ended up hitting my passenger side, then swerving and hitting the front of my car. ( my car had turned around a little.)
And, behind his car came about 6 other cars. I could hear dozens of tires screeching and horns honking and i heard someone scream. Inside of my car, it seems like the actually impact lasted forever. I could see everything in my car moving all over the place. First my head slammed into my window (If you have ever seen the wife's car accident in "the Mothman Prophecy") and then my rear view mirror detached from my windshield and swung over to smack me in the face. Then, since I was not wearing my seatbelt, i was thrown to the other side of the car and wounded up in the passenger seat of my car. My cupholder had broken, my purse flew up and hit the cieling, and smoke was rising from my hood. i looked but couldn't focused. i started to have an anxiety attack, which i have had many times before. The passenger door was smashed in and the door was stuck closed. As soon as i could collect myself, i stepped out of my car, forgetting to even turn off my engine. I heard 3 voices ask me if i was ok as i opened my door, but i have no idea who it was, i don't think i even looked to see. my car was smashed up into itself. a huge puddle of antifreeze and oil formed immediately. My car was making a sizzling noise. A black guy stepped out of the other car. The grill of his car was smashed, but really there wasn't any other damage. A man came running over stepping on all the broken glass and asking me if i was ok. He gave me instructions on what to do. I was so relieved to feel like i had someone there with me. He and his wife waited with me until the cops arrived. I felt like a moron as people drove by and saw what happened. The tow truck came and they loaded my beautiful baby on the back. =(
The cops were nice. They helped me break back into my car, only to find that i had the insurance card for the wrong car in my glove box. They asked me how old i was. I replied that i was sixteen, and that i had had my liscense about seven months. I felt like a dumb asshole teenage blonde, fitting right into statistics. Well the other person fitting into statistics was the other driver, the black guy driving without a liscense since he had lost his along time ago. He had and insurance card in the car but the cops werent sure about its validity. The car was his cousins, and pretty soon 4 big black guys showed up in the parking lot. They got an inch from the cops face and were yelling at the top of their lungs. I sat there, scared shitless. The cops told them to get out of here, since they didn't have room in the squad car for 4 more big guys. I called my uncle jerry to bring my liscense i had left at home. I got ahold of my mom finally. I was so relieved to hear her voice. She was so happy i was ok and did not even yell at me. I also got ahold of Shawn's mom, since i couldn't get ahold of him. She immediately came up to Fairview to see me. We started talking to one of the now 5 cops there. He remembered me from my DARE class in fifth grade, which i find amazing. Anyway, Jerry arrived with my liscense and then waited with me to get the tickets written up. He sat talking about his car collection to the cops. i went through the contents of my car, which was on the back of a tow truck, with one of the officers. I found a $140 paycheck, whic was nice. The cop opened my trunk because he had to do an inventory on the belongings in my car. In the trunk he found a bag of CAT FOOD, what i was on my way to Kmart to buy. I was relieved that somehow he didn't find any alcohol or paraphanelia.
I went to lunch with Jerry and then came home. I started to realize that i was hurt after sitting around. I was so shook up I hadn't even noticed. I had bruises on my knees, hips, butt, and arm and a very, very sore neck. Shawn came over as soon as he got off work. He brought me 2 dozen pink roses and the sweetest anniversary card. We went out to eat at our favorite restaraunt and then came home and watched Crash with my family. How fucking ironic. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but that was definately the most terrifying thing i have ever gone through. Especially because i am the most dependent reliant person you will ever meet, and i was virtually there by myself the whole time.
But it sure the hell made me thank God for everything I have and for still just being alive.