On February 23, 2019, I was hit by a drunk driver. Well, most likely, at least that's what the police told me. Here's some context. I was with my friend, Ashlyn, studying at Starbucks on a Saturday afternoon (I know, we're nerds). Around 6 p.m. we left and I was on the way home to drop her back off at her sorority house. We were just driving along, jamming to the Jonas Brothers, fully attentive and aware while going the speed limit, 45 mph. Out of literally nowhere, we felt a huge crash and slid to the side of the road. Looking back, it's almost a blur it happened so fast. All I remember is screaming "oh my god oh my god oh my god" and looking over at my friend who was starting to cry as I lost complete control of the wheel. Once we stopped sliding to the edge of the road, made sure we were both okay and called the police, we got out of the car to see that my front left bumper was destroyed, my window was smashed and all of the internal systems of the car had shut down (of all things though, the music was still playing LOL). What happened is, there was a car that drove across a concrete median with no lights on in the dark, hit the car in the left lane and then that car hit me in the right lane. The car without their lights on then drove away. Most likely the driver was either driving under the influence, it was a stolen car, they didn't have their license, or something else illegal. But because they drove away, we know no information. The wreck was so far from being my fault, I was the third car in the lineup, which made me almost more upset and scared. You really never know what will happen before you get into a vehicle, most of the time it won't be your fault. I'm thankful we're okay. It could have been so much worse, people die from these sorts of things. I'm a firm believer in using everything that the Lord gives you to grow and learn, here's what I reaffirmed and realized after my car wreck.
1. I have the most amazing family.
My parents have been fantastic in helping me take care of all of the legal and financial aspects of the situation. After calling 911, I called my dad. When he heard my voice quivering on the phone, he knew he was about to hear something serious. He raced to my location and got there in probably record timing and thankfully was able to come to comfort me and wait with me for the tow truck and offer his support. This was my first car wreck and although I knew exactly what to do and honestly handled it pretty well, I definitely appreciated my dad being there more than anything. He's the best dad and never fails to drop everything when his family needs him. I admire him so much, xo dad!
2. My friends are actually angels.
After both the police and my dad were on the way, I called one of my roommates to let her know where I was and what had just happened. Within literally seconds, I got a call from my other roommate and two other sorority sisters and within minutes received multiple texts checking in to make sure I was okay and offering support if I needed anything...word travels fast in a sorority house y'all. My friend that was in the car with me, Ashlyn, was a blessing that night. She helped to calm me down and never left my side. Also shoutout to our friend, Madison, who dropped everything to come get us after everything was settled. I'm so thankful for the friends I have and this night highlighted that even more for me.
3. It's not always you that you have to worry about on the road.
Growing up, whenever my parents would be nervous about me driving somewhere late at night, they would always say that it's not me they're worried about, but the other drivers on the road. I'm thankful that I was alert and attentive while driving and not doing something stupid or texting (which I never do anyway because it's a big fat no-no). I know accidents happen all the time, and a lot of times it's only one person's fault. What are the odds that you're that other person? It's all about the chance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
4. People are nicer than you think, see the good.
Multiple people pulled over that saw the accident happen to make sure no one was hurt because it was pretty intense. A couple on their way to dinner saw the whole thing happen and stayed to talk to the cops about it with us. A med-school student stopped to check if my friend and I needed anything, too. Thankfully, the car that was hit and hit me had people inside that were very nice and comforting as well. That car could've been driven by anybody and my friend and I could have been in danger as we were alone on the road with them at night. I want to be that person that stops to make sure people are okay after an accident because I know how much it meant to me to see that random people were so caring and willing to help.
5. Every second matters, every detail matters.
By changing where I was that second on the road, the situation could have been avoided or more severe. If I was going any faster, the damage and impact could have been much worse. I'm thankful there wasn't another car near me on the road or more cars on the road at all because my car could have been hit harder to spun me around for a head-on collision. My friend's elbow smashed the window as she was going to grab the handle because, from her angle, it looked like we were about to flip. There could have been another car near me which would have made it a four-car collision and the risk of more people getting hurt. If my friend and I would have left the Starbucks literally 1 minute earlier, we could have avoided all of this. If we had left 5 seconds later, it could have maybe been worse and I could have been hit more towards my driver's seat instead of the front of my car. I could be seriously injured, paralyzed, etc. with five seconds later. I know it's dark to think about, and it's not me being dramatic, but in the process of being thankful for it not being worse, I can't help but think about what "worse" could have consisted of. It makes you wonder things.
It still amazes me. We were on a road that had huge shopping stores around and little buildings close to the road but somehow, we ended up on the only grass patch on the road in the one spot where there were no buildings around. We could have crashed into a building, other parked cars, pedestrians...anything. Like what!!! I was blessed enough for me and my friend to not be hurt despite a little whiplash and some bruises. The other car that hit me had some minor injuries (concussion, injured knee) but nothing serious enough for an ambulance to arrive. As for the car that started the collision, I guess we'll never know. I've tried to wrap my mind around how any human could perform a hit and run. They didn't know if anyone was hurt, or even dead, and just drove away to save themselves for whatever they were at fault for. Even so, I have been praying for the driver in this car. They obviously have something serious going on in their life to make them perform something so terrible.
The Lord was near that night. He always is. It's sad that sometimes awful and not fun things have to happen for us to realize that he too is in the quiet, not just the chaos. After this night, I have just felt like I need to constantly be on my knees praising God for all He is. He's a good Father, during both the light and the dark. I just wanted to use this platform to give praise to God and provide some perspective for the next time you're on the road. I'm sharing this to give support to anyone who has been involved in a car accident and to those who take advantage of driving. The redundant lectures and warnings about getting into an accident became a reality for me. It is a privilege to earn your license, not a right. Please drive responsibly, because it could all be taken away from you in an instant. At the end of the day, everyone gets into accidents and sometimes, it's so out of your control. Be safe, be alert, be wise.
