The Car Accident

My last class for the day let out because my professor lost her voice and couldn't continue the lecture. I was thankful due to the massive migraine pounding in my head, but still had to run an errand at Wal-Mart for Mom. There were only three items on my list, but everything took twice as long because I was in a fog.

Little did I know that my migraine may have very well saved my life.

I finally made it out of Wal-Mart and made my way back home, attempting to keep my eyes open. Coming over the last hill before my turn, I had a few seconds to survey a large accident at the bottom and brake before landing in the bed of a pickup truck. It must have just happened. A few police cars and the volunteer fire crew were already on the scene. I craned my neck out the window to see what was going on. From what I could tell, there were more than two cars involved. I picked up my cell phone to call Mom and notify her that I wouldn't be home for a while.

"Your grandmother isn't in it... is she?" Mom asked.

"What? Why?"

"She just left to go to the store."

A sick feeling grew in my stomach. "I can't see..." I squinted my eyes. "My car is stuck. There's a driveway a few yards from me, but I'm afraid I'll land in the ditch if I try to pass the car in front of me. I'm stuck -- I'll call you back when I find something out."

The next twenty minutes were spent in fervent prayer. The sick feeling grew worse the longer I sat. Finally, I took the risk of landing my car in a three foot ditch and sailed into the driveway to park my car. I jumped out and walked to the scene of the accident. One of the cars was completely totaled -- the front end was entirely gone. A crowd of firemen and policemen stood around the ditch next to it. An ambulance came with stretchers.

"How many cars were involved?" I asked a trucker standing by.

"Three," came the answer in a strong Texan accent. "The other two are in the ditch across the road."

"What kind of cars are they?" My heart-rate increased.

"That truck," he pointed, "and a red suburban."

I breathed a sigh of relief (my grandmother drives a gray Nissan), but I was still worried about the people involved in the accident. I walked a little closer to the scene. Even though I couldn't see any details, I knew someone was hurt badly.

Then CareFlight came.

The chopper landed ten yards away from where I stood. I could only stare as memories of another car accident flooded my mind. Eleven years ago, Mom, Jer, and I were in a bad car accident. Our car was totaled and Jer nearly died. That moment is still so vividly burned into my memory. I don't talk about it much because it's one of those memories I'd rather not recall -- it was one of the most traumatizing moments of my life (so far).

After CareFlight left, I walked numbly to my car and somehow managed to pull out of the growing traffic and retrace back to the highway. I had to go 15 miles out of my way to get home, but the trip was almost surreal. The accident was still haunting me. I prayed for the people involved and wondered if the injured person was still alive.

My family welcomed me warmly once I stepped in the door, but I broke down. Maybe the combination of sheer exhaustion, a migraine, and haunting memories revisited, but I cried for a while as Mom and Jer held me. Had I not had that migraine and took so long to shop, I might have been the one in that car accident. More than anything, I was thankful my grandmother wasn't in that accident.