THANK GOD, I was by myself - which as a SAHM (Stay-at-home-Mom) is very unusual. Normally, I would ALWAYS have McKinley with me, if not Cary and/or my Mom too. Matter of fact, I almost asked Mom to watch McKinley AT my class...but I didn't. They stayed safe, at home. Thank God.
I was heading home, eastbound on Ohio Street (if you're from T.H. or familiar you'll know where I'm talking about - it's a very busy 'main' street). I was the lead car among the little pack on the 3 lane one way street and had the green light at the intersection of 13th and Ohio Streets - and it had been green for a LONG time.
As I neared the intersection, out of the corner of my right eye I noticed this truck which had come out of no where, heading northbound and was traveling at a high rate of speed...through the red light. In an instant I slammed on the brakes, screamed (trust me...I screamed. My throat still hurts), and tried desperately to avoid the car some way, somehow. Suffice to say I didn't, as the pictures below reveal.
Everything was a two and a half hour blur then. I'm okay, just scared, angry at the idiot driving the truck (and trust me folks, he was an idiot), startled and so very, very thankful all in one. What a wreck - oh, no pun intended. The ambulance arrived first while 'the idiot' (as I will forever refer to him) began claiming his leg was broken as he suddenly developed a limp - but was STILL ABLE TO MANEUVER on said broken leg. The EMT RUSHED him into the ambulance, closed the doors as if to leave, then suddenly the doors opened and the idiot appeared, released from his broken leg by the EMT, who I'm certain pulled away and laughed. Oh but wait! Along with the limp, the idiot suddenly realizes an amazing amount of back pain and grasps his back in a dramatic fashion, glares at me and says, 'Oh, my back HURTS'. Gee whiz, he sure was in a hurry to get from his truck to my car as he sprinted to check on my condition, ask if I was okay, beg forgiveness and admit fault for flying through an already red light. Where did THIS guy learn how to ACT?
It gets better.
The police arrive, thankfully I'm familiar with both of the officers working the scene. NOT familiar as in having dealt with them before, as I'm proud to say that I actually sat inside a police car for the very first time in my life yesterday afternoon...to give my statement...in the front seat. Call me vanilla. Ha ha.
So, the cops get the idiot's statement first, which -- SHOCKER -- changes from his original profession of guilt to utter blame and fault laid on yours truly. He began to get belligerent and angrier by the second and actually came forward, arms splayed as if to attack, asking, 'WHY THE F*** DID YOU TURN INTO ME?' All I said was, 'Excuse me?' Thinking back on it, I wish I'd been able to find my inner backbone, for I would have certainly given the idiot a piece of my Murano-wrecking mind. One officer immediately jumped forward and walked the idiot back to his car, warning him to stay there until he said he could move. Twice more he approached me again during the LONG wait for this afternoon to be over . I was actually scared.
Finally, after many frantic phone calls to Cary (who beat it to the scene as fast as his ride would carry him), my Mom, my friend Sara S., and a slew of other friends who I tried to reach to ask for a ride home (good timing, huh? Middle of the workday), I was released to leave..sans the family car. The Murano was towed away, while the idiot's truck was drivable. Hmmm...must be nice to be the one to have caused the whole dang thing in a great act of stupidity and then to just drive away, like la-dee-dah, all the while laying blame on someone else.
I'm happy to report that the idiot has met his match in the form of a witness. She tells a very similar tale to me - only from the angle of pedestrian about to cross the street from where the idiot came barrelling. She stated that my light did not even turn yellow until after the traffic behind me got through the crash site. Amazing how that all works out, huh? Someone else to be grateful for.
So, I got home, FINALLY. I am so grateful for Sarah, Mary and Ezra (see them in McKinley's b-day slide show!). They stopped everything they were doing and came to rescue me and everything I had to schlep home from the scene (car seat, stroller, McKinley toys, loads of paperwork, etc). I truly, truly appreciate the help. Cary and I both do.
So, here I am today, amid many phone calls to wrecker services, insurance companies, THPD, Babies R Us (for a new car seat...), and our Nissan body shop and I can't seem to get two very, very intense emotions out of my head: Unbelievable gratitude to God and my guardian angels - lead g.a. no doubt being my Dad - for keeping me safe (and I still can't quite figure out how) and for NOT having any of my family with me. And also absolute, red hot anger toward the idiot for treating a potentially deadly piece of metal like a freaking toy, disregarding common law and thus completely complicating many lives in tow.
All I know is that I am so very grateful for actually being alive to feel this anger and gratitude. Had I been one second sooner, my survival and any additional passengers would most certainly have been the question of the day.
Now we 'WAIT'. Not something I'm good at, but I have to do it. The rental will arrive on Friday (thanks to the idiot have 'questionable' car insurance, we have had to wait to move on everything and therefore having no option of availability), hopefully the new car seat will arrive by Saturday so that we may all attend a special wedding...and maybe, just maybe, the Murano won't be totalled. Though, after closer inspection this evening, Cary and I realize that this is a real possibility as the frame is possibly bent.
If I may, I'd like to toot the proverbial horn of Nissan. The impact of the crash was big...you can tell by looking. But I barely felt a thing, seriously. I mean, I heard it and I felt it...but not like I should have. That's some shock absorption.
I hope the next post about this wreck will be a very positive one. I'm not holding my breath, but I AM being as optimistic as I can.
Bottom line, I'm sore, my neck is stiff, I'm tired because I can't sleep, every time I close my eyes I see a truck rushing toward me out of the corner of my eye, Cary's tired and stressed, Mom's tired and stressed, even McKinley had a really rough night sleeping...but we're all okay.
Thank God.
Lynn
Picture taken at Nissan dealership
One of the points of impact
Again taken at dealership, side view of hood damage
View from the scene, taken with camera phone. This view shows damage all the way to passenger door
The idiot's truck. Note: man pictured is NOT the idiot. Don't know who this is. Notice that the truck is strategically placed between the posts of this bank sign. Kind of remotely funny. Damage done to his vehicle in this crash is at the left rear, behind wheel. That's it. I suppose he could have thanked me for pushing him by the HUGH traffic light pole...too much to ask?
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