Quite A Fright

Yesterday my day started like most days.  I woke up with a plan.  I had a mental and physical check list of things to do.  I am trying very hard not to get so wound up in calling a day good or bad based on the number of items I check off each day.  Most of my deadlines are self imposed.  If something doesn't get done today, it can almost always be rolled over to tomorrow's list.  Google calendar is both a blessing and a curse in this respect.  I can make lots of lists and plan weeks in advance.  

Of course all plans are out the window when my niece wants me.  I like it that way.  Although I find comfort in having a plan, I am glad that most of the time when I get a call to have fun, I can answer it with a resounding "YES!"  Still, I love my lists.

First item on yesterday's list was an appointment at the doctor.  Nothing major just a follow up.  As I drove there, I wondered how long the appointment would take.  I'd failed to pick up a book to pass the time, plus I had things to do.  The longer the appointment the fewer items I'd check off my list.

I was stopped at a red light about a block from my destination.  I was the second car in the lane.  I was looking at something to my right, thinking about my plans and hoping to get a good parking spot.  Then, I heard a horn blowing.  It was the car in front of me.  A car was headed towards it - head on!  The car was on the wrong side of the road and coming fast.  The driver did not stop and crashed into the car in front of me sending that car in to me!

I totally freaked out.  I called 65MD screaming "I had a wreck!" over and over.  I could not comprehend what he was saying to me in response.  The woman in the car behind me did not get hit and called 911 immediately.  She got out and checked on all three drivers.  None of us seemed to be hurt.  A pedestrian about to cross the street came to our aid as did another driver behind us.  When it seemed that the damage was limited to our cars and not our bodies, I calmed and told 65MD to stay at work and I'd keep him informed. 

The driver that caused the accident seemed disoriented and wandered around in the oncoming traffic.  I asked the pedestrian if she felt the driver was impaired in some way and she did.  In a bit, the driver got in the back seat of the car and stayed there.

After about 10 or 15 minutes when the police had not arrived, I called the non emergency number to see what was going on.  I was told that there had been several accidents in the area and help would arrive soon.  I was also told by the doctor's office that I was the third person to call that morning cancelling due to a car accident.  So, we continued to wait.

As we were about a block from the hospital, an ambulance came by.  They stopped and asked if we were OK.  We said that we were but perhaps the driver in the back seat of the other car might be hurt.  They checked and came back quickly saying she was beyond their help.

Soon after that a van came up in the lane beside the accident and asked the driver if she were OK.  Then the people in the van began to yell at us saying the driver was terribly hurt and having seizures.  They were angry with us for not calling 911.  We tried to explain that we had called twice.  A man got out of the van and came over to us very upset that we had not taken car of this driver.  I was getting fearful that we escaped injury with the accident only to get hurt on the sidewalk.

Thankfully, the emergency vehicles arrived and the angry man and his van load of friends quickly left the scene.  Four EMT's and two officers quickly assessed the situation and got that driver in the ambulance.  The poor, sweet woman in the middle car insisted that she was fine other than a headache and declined medical care as did I.  (We had both been standing in the sun for 40 minutes, I had a headache and felt nauseous and faint, but I knew I'd be fine with a cold glass of water.)

The officer got my information and then since my car was still drivable, I was asked to leave the scene so that the tow truck could get to the other two cars.  I was quite rattled and did not feel comfortable moving my car.  I asked the officer to do it for me, but he very politely declined.  Instead, he very patiently helped me get the car out of the tight spot and stopped traffic so that I could pull into the lane safely.

I came home and drank a cherry coke zero because it was the strongest thing I had in the house, and got in the bath tub.  I texted 65MD to let him know I was home. When I got out of the tub, let my family know what happened and that I was OK.  I laid down.  I read for a bit.  I played games on Facebook and I did not do one thing on my to do list - at all.  And it was fine.