menschmaschine
Well-Known Member
Sorry, this is a long one...
I was driving to work yesterday morning on a country road near home and someone coming in the opposite direction to me started to turn left, right in front of me... and then kept turning into me before I could do anything besides hit the horn and slam on my brakes. Turns out it was some high school chick on her way to school who wasn't paying attention... I don't know if she was texting or on the phone or what, but all I remember thinking before impact was, "don't they see me?... are they going to keep turning?" Of course it all happened in a split second and I did everything I could.
So, the impact was hard. I was doing around 50 mph and she was probably not far off that in her speed even with the turn she was trying to make. My airbag went off and between that and my seat belt, saved my life. Through the smoke from the airbag, all I remember doing was screaming, "oh my god! oh my god!" I jerked open the stuck door and immediately felt my foot in pain and a few other pains on my body, but I seemed to be in one piece. My glasses had flown off my face, so I couldn't really see anything. I limped over to her car. By that time, passers-by and by-standers came out and were pulling her out of her wrecked car. She just layed on the road in the fetal position screaming and crying.
I limped back to my car to try to find my glasses and by-standers were warning me to stay away because they thought the truck was going to start fire or explode. I finally found my glasses and cell phone on the passenger-side floor and called my wife. By then the ambulances arrived and loaded us in on flat-boards with neck braces and off to the hospital.
After numerous X-rays and CAT scans, they figured out that I have the normal whip lash (they were treating me like my neck was broken until they confirmed by CAT scan that it wasn't) and my right foot is fractured in 6 places. This is because my foot was slammed on to the brake pedal and the impact forced engine components into the floor right under my foot, breaking it. Other than that I just have soreness and bruises... the seat belt left a bad bruise on my left shoulder blade and my inner lip is a bit cut up from my teeth when my face hit the airbag.
The nurses at the hospital said the other driver is just bruised up a bit. I don't know how she got off so lucky since she was driving an old Ford Taurus and I was driving a new Toyota Tacoma. I guess the point of impact on my truck was worse than on her car as far as driver protection goes. Fortunately, the car she was driving is insured. My new truck is totaled. The state police told me that there was a witness to the entire accident who corroborated my side of the story... that she just turned right in front of me.
So, I have a cast on my right leg for 6 weeks and can't go to work, can't drive, can't brew, can't finish my brew shed, and will have to pay someone to mow my lawn for the rest of the season. On top of this, my wife is due with our first child in 4 weeks. After talking with my insurance company today, I'm going to lose a couple thousand dollars on my truck since it was new and totaled. I just bought it 6 weeks ago, but I obviously won't get what I paid for it. I'm waiting to hear from the other driver's insurance company to see what they will be doing for me. If it's not fair or enough ("pain and suffering"), I guess I'll have to hire an attorney, though I'm not the letigious type.
I guess I'm happy to be alive. Here's my truck:
I was driving to work yesterday morning on a country road near home and someone coming in the opposite direction to me started to turn left, right in front of me... and then kept turning into me before I could do anything besides hit the horn and slam on my brakes. Turns out it was some high school chick on her way to school who wasn't paying attention... I don't know if she was texting or on the phone or what, but all I remember thinking before impact was, "don't they see me?... are they going to keep turning?" Of course it all happened in a split second and I did everything I could.
So, the impact was hard. I was doing around 50 mph and she was probably not far off that in her speed even with the turn she was trying to make. My airbag went off and between that and my seat belt, saved my life. Through the smoke from the airbag, all I remember doing was screaming, "oh my god! oh my god!" I jerked open the stuck door and immediately felt my foot in pain and a few other pains on my body, but I seemed to be in one piece. My glasses had flown off my face, so I couldn't really see anything. I limped over to her car. By that time, passers-by and by-standers came out and were pulling her out of her wrecked car. She just layed on the road in the fetal position screaming and crying.
I limped back to my car to try to find my glasses and by-standers were warning me to stay away because they thought the truck was going to start fire or explode. I finally found my glasses and cell phone on the passenger-side floor and called my wife. By then the ambulances arrived and loaded us in on flat-boards with neck braces and off to the hospital.
After numerous X-rays and CAT scans, they figured out that I have the normal whip lash (they were treating me like my neck was broken until they confirmed by CAT scan that it wasn't) and my right foot is fractured in 6 places. This is because my foot was slammed on to the brake pedal and the impact forced engine components into the floor right under my foot, breaking it. Other than that I just have soreness and bruises... the seat belt left a bad bruise on my left shoulder blade and my inner lip is a bit cut up from my teeth when my face hit the airbag.
The nurses at the hospital said the other driver is just bruised up a bit. I don't know how she got off so lucky since she was driving an old Ford Taurus and I was driving a new Toyota Tacoma. I guess the point of impact on my truck was worse than on her car as far as driver protection goes. Fortunately, the car she was driving is insured. My new truck is totaled. The state police told me that there was a witness to the entire accident who corroborated my side of the story... that she just turned right in front of me.
So, I have a cast on my right leg for 6 weeks and can't go to work, can't drive, can't brew, can't finish my brew shed, and will have to pay someone to mow my lawn for the rest of the season. On top of this, my wife is due with our first child in 4 weeks. After talking with my insurance company today, I'm going to lose a couple thousand dollars on my truck since it was new and totaled. I just bought it 6 weeks ago, but I obviously won't get what I paid for it. I'm waiting to hear from the other driver's insurance company to see what they will be doing for me. If it's not fair or enough ("pain and suffering"), I guess I'll have to hire an attorney, though I'm not the letigious type.
I guess I'm happy to be alive. Here's my truck: