~Goes the same speed on the Ventura freeway
No UMO today because I got in a car accident. :D
Actually, it was probably the best outcome for an accident, given I didn't hit anyone or anything and the damage was minor. I just skidded off the road in the rain. BUT IF YOU'D LIKE A LONGER MORE DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF WHAT HAPPENED THEN CLICK ON AHEAD
Anyway I was getting ready to go to the station today and I noticed my phone was dead. I debated charging it before heading out, but eventually decided I'd charge it at work instead, since I rarely use it. This is relevant later, as you may guess.
It's also raining.
I'm driving along the freeways, right where the 134 breaks off into the 5 north and south. It goes something like this.
I took the turn for the 5 south, as usual, a bit too quickly, which is something I occasionally make a note not to do and don't follow up on. PERHAPS NOW I WILL DO SO
Anyway, the mergelane into the 5 is long, and it has this big embankment on the right where it supports a road going above it, and a little strip of land to the left of it.
So I'm zipping along around this turn, like so, and I was listening to Hello Planet at the time, and it was, coincidentally, just hitting the climax of the song (3:25). Which I guess is appropriate.
So I'm sitting there going KONNANI, KONNANIIIIIIIII and then I notice the car isn't responding to where I'm telling it to go and seems to be jerking to one side. I try to adjust for it, a bit annoyed at the PT acting up like so, and then the car decides HEY IT'S TIME FOR A SPIN
I can't exactly remember which direction I started spinning at, since this all happened very quickly, BUT I THINK THIS IS HOW IT STARTED.
Weirdly, I didn't panic at this point, instead trying to focus very hard on getting the car turned the right way again. For some reason, I was convinced turning my wheels against the skid would right me, so I slammed the wheel the other way.
I think I OVERcorrected, as the car began to spin the OTHER way. I was still dead silent while all this was going on, which was kind of weird. I don't remember feeling panicked, just very >:| I MUST STOP THIS SKID which wasn't what I'd normally expect, haha. I'm sure if I had a passenger I probably would have flipped out like what.
Anyway, as the car 360'd and I got a good view of the freeway behind me, I remember having enough time for the thought I NEED TO BRAKE AND TURN THE WHEELS AGAINST THE SKID to come to me, which I then put into practice. In retrospect, I don't think this was the right thing to do, but by gum at the time I was deadset on doing just that. So I stepped on the brake and did so, still quite >:| about the entire thing.
I was so weirdly focused, it's bizarre. Anyway, at this point the embankment I mentioned comes in.
By the way, Hello Planet is still playing merrily away in the background.
I hit the curb (which is, thankfully, quite low) and go right up on the embankment. I feel the car slide through a ton of vegetation, then go up on two wheels. At this point, my thoughts went from "well at least i'm out of the way" to "OH GOD DON'T LET THE CAR ROLL OVER"
Thankfully it did NOT roll, and plopped on back down. After everything had stopped moving, I sat there for a few seconds breathing hard and wondering if that had really just happened. It all went by so fast, and it didn't really seem real. Hello Planet continued to serenade me from the cd player.
This was kind of the situation I was in, which was, in a way, ideal for how things could have turned out. Not only had I not hit anyone, or had anyone hit me, or even hit anyTHING, I had actually ended up skidding way off the road in a place where no one could even hit me as they passed by.
While I sat there and tried to get my bearings, someone did pull over though, a guy named Ryan who turned out to be super helpful. He let me borrow his phone, since mine was dead, to try and find a way to get my car out of this mess.
While I called a bunch of people, more people stopped around me. Ryan had been nice enough to lend me his phone, and now more guys had stopped to survey the damage. They wandered around the car and looked it over, although I didn't hear a lot of it since I was on the phone. More people stopped behind me, including a guy in a flourescent road crew jacket who laid down a few cones.
Eventually, we made a plan to get the PT out of the way (since someone else could skid out and hit me) and a bunch of guys got behind the car to push. However, as far as I could tell, everything about the PT was running fine. The only problems were that the tires were leaking air or already flat. I drove the PT off the embankment without much trouble (I don't think they even needed to push, haha) and moved it down the shoulder a bit. While I was doing that, one person honked at me, which would be the only occasion of that.
Anyway, everyone discussed what to do (so many people stopped to help! This continues to blow my mind even now) and eventually, we decided that Ryan would turn on his emergency blinkers, and I'd turn on mine, and we'd get off on the first exit and find a street to call AAA from. So we did that. The PT handled mostly fine, although the turning on it seemed very sluggish, I assume cause the front tires were flat.
We found a sidestreet and Ryan continued to hang out and let me borrow his phone while I called for a tow. I didn't have my AAA card, and they were insistent that a card holder with photo ID be there when the tow arrived, so I called my grandparents who were happy to come by. Ryan waited the whole time and even offered me some chocolate almonds while we did so. He also called his wife, who I'm sure was pretty concerned, haha. I'm so glad he stopped to help me, I really am. Especially since me and Mom had just watched a documentary on serial killers earlier and I was super paranoid he was going to stab me to death. BUT HE DID NOT
Anyway, the AAA guy came and he was also very nice, and we discussed the damage and all that. As far as I could tell, three tires had blown out, and one wheel was chipped. Also one wheelwell had a chunk sort of torn out, and the license plate got whacked off the front. Other than that, the PT was in good shape. The airbags didn't even go off! No broken windows or anything, and the bumpers were oddly fine despite the license plate gettin knocked clean off.
The only person who was a bit short with me was when AAA called me back when the tow had arrived but my grandparents hadn't, and was all WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM FOREVER WHERE ARE THEY HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE BLUH BLUH and i had to tell them to wait just a little longer. The tow guy actually didn't seem to even care that much, and was going to take the car to a nearby tireplace without even seeing a card anyway, but my grandparents arrived in the nick of time, haha. I thanked Ryan and he went off, and we went to the tire place.
The wheel chip was the most serious problem, since apparently 2004 PT Cruiser wheels aren't that easy to come by, but they said they could get a new one in by tomorrow, although it's gonna cost 325. That and we need to get the tires changed out, and I'll probably take the car to Serge's to get the wheelwell/license plate fixed.
But all in all, everything really turned out pretty good. I mean, it's not like I wanted it to happen and really I'd prefer it if it HADN'T happened, but
I didn't hit anyone or anything
I didn't get hurt, or hurt anyone
The damage was relatively minor (tho still, it all adds up to like 860 bucks, eesh)
A lot of people stopped to help
Didn't roll the car
Skidded right off into a safe place when no one was around
All in all I think I'm pretty lucky, haha. But you better believe I was shaking like crazy after it happened. It was pretty terrifying at the time, although that didn't really hit me until the car had stopped moving. I'm mostly mystified at the businesslike >:| aura that came over me when it happened. Usually when I get into a close shave while driving I'll go OH FRICK OH FRICK to myself but this time I was just totally silent. MUST STOP SKID
Although I don't think I did the right thing to do that, haha. Too much Mario Kart maybe.
ANYWAY I GUESS THE MORAL OF THIS IS IF IT'S RAINING, BE CAREFUL
Actually, it was probably the best outcome for an accident, given I didn't hit anyone or anything and the damage was minor. I just skidded off the road in the rain. BUT IF YOU'D LIKE A LONGER MORE DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF WHAT HAPPENED THEN CLICK ON AHEAD
Anyway I was getting ready to go to the station today and I noticed my phone was dead. I debated charging it before heading out, but eventually decided I'd charge it at work instead, since I rarely use it. This is relevant later, as you may guess.
It's also raining.
I'm driving along the freeways, right where the 134 breaks off into the 5 north and south. It goes something like this.
I took the turn for the 5 south, as usual, a bit too quickly, which is something I occasionally make a note not to do and don't follow up on. PERHAPS NOW I WILL DO SO
Anyway, the mergelane into the 5 is long, and it has this big embankment on the right where it supports a road going above it, and a little strip of land to the left of it.
So I'm zipping along around this turn, like so, and I was listening to Hello Planet at the time, and it was, coincidentally, just hitting the climax of the song (3:25). Which I guess is appropriate.
So I'm sitting there going KONNANI, KONNANIIIIIIIII and then I notice the car isn't responding to where I'm telling it to go and seems to be jerking to one side. I try to adjust for it, a bit annoyed at the PT acting up like so, and then the car decides HEY IT'S TIME FOR A SPIN
I can't exactly remember which direction I started spinning at, since this all happened very quickly, BUT I THINK THIS IS HOW IT STARTED.
Weirdly, I didn't panic at this point, instead trying to focus very hard on getting the car turned the right way again. For some reason, I was convinced turning my wheels against the skid would right me, so I slammed the wheel the other way.
I think I OVERcorrected, as the car began to spin the OTHER way. I was still dead silent while all this was going on, which was kind of weird. I don't remember feeling panicked, just very >:| I MUST STOP THIS SKID which wasn't what I'd normally expect, haha. I'm sure if I had a passenger I probably would have flipped out like what.
Anyway, as the car 360'd and I got a good view of the freeway behind me, I remember having enough time for the thought I NEED TO BRAKE AND TURN THE WHEELS AGAINST THE SKID to come to me, which I then put into practice. In retrospect, I don't think this was the right thing to do, but by gum at the time I was deadset on doing just that. So I stepped on the brake and did so, still quite >:| about the entire thing.
I was so weirdly focused, it's bizarre. Anyway, at this point the embankment I mentioned comes in.
By the way, Hello Planet is still playing merrily away in the background.
I hit the curb (which is, thankfully, quite low) and go right up on the embankment. I feel the car slide through a ton of vegetation, then go up on two wheels. At this point, my thoughts went from "well at least i'm out of the way" to "OH GOD DON'T LET THE CAR ROLL OVER"
Thankfully it did NOT roll, and plopped on back down. After everything had stopped moving, I sat there for a few seconds breathing hard and wondering if that had really just happened. It all went by so fast, and it didn't really seem real. Hello Planet continued to serenade me from the cd player.
This was kind of the situation I was in, which was, in a way, ideal for how things could have turned out. Not only had I not hit anyone, or had anyone hit me, or even hit anyTHING, I had actually ended up skidding way off the road in a place where no one could even hit me as they passed by.
While I sat there and tried to get my bearings, someone did pull over though, a guy named Ryan who turned out to be super helpful. He let me borrow his phone, since mine was dead, to try and find a way to get my car out of this mess.
While I called a bunch of people, more people stopped around me. Ryan had been nice enough to lend me his phone, and now more guys had stopped to survey the damage. They wandered around the car and looked it over, although I didn't hear a lot of it since I was on the phone. More people stopped behind me, including a guy in a flourescent road crew jacket who laid down a few cones.
Eventually, we made a plan to get the PT out of the way (since someone else could skid out and hit me) and a bunch of guys got behind the car to push. However, as far as I could tell, everything about the PT was running fine. The only problems were that the tires were leaking air or already flat. I drove the PT off the embankment without much trouble (I don't think they even needed to push, haha) and moved it down the shoulder a bit. While I was doing that, one person honked at me, which would be the only occasion of that.
Anyway, everyone discussed what to do (so many people stopped to help! This continues to blow my mind even now) and eventually, we decided that Ryan would turn on his emergency blinkers, and I'd turn on mine, and we'd get off on the first exit and find a street to call AAA from. So we did that. The PT handled mostly fine, although the turning on it seemed very sluggish, I assume cause the front tires were flat.
We found a sidestreet and Ryan continued to hang out and let me borrow his phone while I called for a tow. I didn't have my AAA card, and they were insistent that a card holder with photo ID be there when the tow arrived, so I called my grandparents who were happy to come by. Ryan waited the whole time and even offered me some chocolate almonds while we did so. He also called his wife, who I'm sure was pretty concerned, haha. I'm so glad he stopped to help me, I really am. Especially since me and Mom had just watched a documentary on serial killers earlier and I was super paranoid he was going to stab me to death. BUT HE DID NOT
Anyway, the AAA guy came and he was also very nice, and we discussed the damage and all that. As far as I could tell, three tires had blown out, and one wheel was chipped. Also one wheelwell had a chunk sort of torn out, and the license plate got whacked off the front. Other than that, the PT was in good shape. The airbags didn't even go off! No broken windows or anything, and the bumpers were oddly fine despite the license plate gettin knocked clean off.
The only person who was a bit short with me was when AAA called me back when the tow had arrived but my grandparents hadn't, and was all WE CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM FOREVER WHERE ARE THEY HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE BLUH BLUH and i had to tell them to wait just a little longer. The tow guy actually didn't seem to even care that much, and was going to take the car to a nearby tireplace without even seeing a card anyway, but my grandparents arrived in the nick of time, haha. I thanked Ryan and he went off, and we went to the tire place.
The wheel chip was the most serious problem, since apparently 2004 PT Cruiser wheels aren't that easy to come by, but they said they could get a new one in by tomorrow, although it's gonna cost 325. That and we need to get the tires changed out, and I'll probably take the car to Serge's to get the wheelwell/license plate fixed.
But all in all, everything really turned out pretty good. I mean, it's not like I wanted it to happen and really I'd prefer it if it HADN'T happened, but
I didn't hit anyone or anything
I didn't get hurt, or hurt anyone
The damage was relatively minor (tho still, it all adds up to like 860 bucks, eesh)
A lot of people stopped to help
Didn't roll the car
Skidded right off into a safe place when no one was around
All in all I think I'm pretty lucky, haha. But you better believe I was shaking like crazy after it happened. It was pretty terrifying at the time, although that didn't really hit me until the car had stopped moving. I'm mostly mystified at the businesslike >:| aura that came over me when it happened. Usually when I get into a close shave while driving I'll go OH FRICK OH FRICK to myself but this time I was just totally silent. MUST STOP SKID
Although I don't think I did the right thing to do that, haha. Too much Mario Kart maybe.
ANYWAY I GUESS THE MORAL OF THIS IS IF IT'S RAINING, BE CAREFUL