My mother was driving me to school. My mother has to go to into the centre lane and then make a left turn to get into the school parking lot. So, she did this and was driving down the centre lane for a bit when suddenly, this car from a side street that leads out to the main street (the street that we were on) tried to make a left turn. The road is pretty big and she was on our right side, so she had to pass through the centre lane to make the turn. I don’t know why the other driver tried to make the turn because we were clearly in the centre lane. Anyways, she tried to pass in front of us and there was minimal space between us. The lady tried to keep driving while my mother honked the horn at her and slammed the brakes. Because there was so little space between us, my mother was in the process of braking when our cars crashed into each other. Even if our car was standing still, she still would’ve crashed into us because there was such minimal space.
Anyways, I fell forward, hit my jaw on the back of the driver’s seat and then fell back again. My mother started having a hysterical fit, screaming and crying and all that. I started crying, too. And it was right in front of my school and some of my friends were standing on the sidewalk and I waved at them to let them know that we’re okay. I was shaking so much and if the collision had been head-on, I think I would’ve gone into shock.
Finally, the tow truck guys came and they were very nice. They called the cops and everything for us and told us to have this and this ready and so on. They asked my mother and me if we were Korean and they tried to speak to us in Korean. Then, a police officer came and was nice enough to ask me if I’d like him to walk me to the school, which was across the street. I said, “Yes” and he stopped traffic in the middle of this busy busy busy street (Sheppard Ave. E, for you Torontonians) in the morning just so I could cross the street.
I called my parents at lunch and they said that the police decided it was the other lady’s fault. My mom believes that our van is jinxed because a similiar accident had happened before, so my father is going to get the van fixed and then trade it for another.
It was crazy and probably the scariest experience of my life.
Even small accidents can give you quite a fright - when I was about nine years old, my mother was driving me and my younger brother back from church, and we slowed down and stopped to pull into our own driveway, when a truck who wasn’t paying attention rear ended us and sent us spiralling into our driveway. There were loud crunching noises, and loud bangs, and lots of dust and dirt. If my mother hadn’t had the steering wheel turned, we would have been rammed head on into a telephone pole that stands at the top middle part of our driveway.
Everyone was okay, and I hurried inside to get my father. Hours later, I sat in the living room window, watching the tow truck getting ready to take the car away, and I saw the rear of our car all smashed up, and the two back tires blown out, and I thought of my little brother all alone in that backseat (he was fine - in fact when the car stopped moving, he yelled "WHEEE! Again! Again!). Anyway, it made me start bawling my eyes out.
That was about 18 years ago, and I still peek in all the rearviews whenever I or anybody else driving slows down, to make sure no one is coming up on us too fast.
Anyway, again, I’m just happy to hear you are all okay. It is a very scary thing. I don’t think some of us are aware of how fast an accident can happen until we’ve been in one.
You had to go to school after that? Man, I woulda tried to stay home!
I’m glad you’re okay, my brother’s car got rear ended one time and it terrified me.
I’m glad you’re ok, just make sure to watch out for lingering effects. If your jaw hurts or if your neck/back starts to hurt in the next day or two, go see a doctor. Sometimes in an accident, it doesn’t feel like you’re injured, but things can get out of whack just the same.
Thanks, everyone. Hugs everyone back My friend said that I will probably be sore somewhere in a day or two and so will my mother, especially. My father has rented a van for us to use for now…so, it’s all good.
Ditto what Cheesesteak said about watching for injuries. I had a very minor accident a few months ago when another driver rear-ended me at a stop sign. I felt fine at the time, but when I woke up the next morning my neck was killing me. See your doctor if you have any pain over the next day or two.
The accident must have been terrifying for you. I’m glad you and your mom are OK.
You poor thing…I’m glad you’re OK. Even near-accidents can scare the shit out of you, when you realize just how close you came. I second all the advice given by other posters.
My mom was still so shaken up by the accident that she drank a glass of wine during dinner. And then she went straight to bed afterwards. She refuses to drive for a while…
And don’t worry: my mother echoed what everyone here has said about injuries. She kept pressing me about any injuries/sore areas I have. I don’t think I have any, but I’ll just wait and see.
CynicalGabe- Backing into other cars in college isn’t as nasty as a collision. ^^
I myself got rearended on the way to work one morning. I couldn’t believe what happened, it was unreal. The back of my car is still messed up pretty badly, but the engine runs great so there’s no need for a new car.
I know how you feel. Let the other bad driver be a lesson.
I got hit on the way to middle school once, but I was alone. And instead of being in a car, I was on my bike. Amazingly, the only casualty was my bike. :eek:
Have a hug from me for as long as you need it, lass. I know it’s frightening. I’ll echo what others said about injuries showing up later, and I promise I’m not nagging. A few years ago, I was in an accident when someone made a left turn into me. The accident wasn’t that bad and I felt fine for the rest of that day, if a bit shaken up. When I woke up the next morning, though, my neck hurt like fury and I could barely move it. What’s worse is I had a job interview at 9:00 or 10:00 that morning! I made it through the interview (and eventually got the job), and then called a friend’s Applied Kinesiologist. The diagnosis was depressingly mundane: whiplash, or as she put it, my neck went boi-yoi-yoi-yoi-yoing!
I’m glad you and your Mum are all right. Tell her, please, I don’t blame her for being nervous. I still keep a sharp eye out around the intersection where I was hit, and I go through it regularly!
Take care,
CJ
By the way, Anastasaeon, I did have to laugh at your little brother’s reaction to the wreck! It sounds like something one of my little brothers would have done!
I’ve been in two pretty violent car crashes (and one non violent) – one where I was thrown from the vehicle – and I was totally fine in both, with no soreness at all.
Glad to hear everyone’s okay. Accidents are scary things. I’ve been rear-ended twice in my life (I don’t know what it is about my rear end that makes people want to slam into it) and I freaked both times. The first time it happened I had just dropped my then-3 year old son off at daycare and was on my way to class when a stupid cow in a Mercury Topaz plowed into me as I was stopped to make a left turn. Totaled my car and my son’s car seat; I was really glad he wasn’t in it at the time.
The second time wasn’t as bad, and was actually kind of amusing. A friend had let my use her car that day, and I picked my daughter up from school and then headed out to pick up my friend, who at the time worked with me in the dispatch center. As I was stopped to turn into the driveway I glanced into my rearview mirror and thought:
"SHIT!!! GRILLE!!!"
I suppose if you’re going to have a car accident the driveway at the sheriff’s department is as good a place as any. However, the sheriff’s department is located inside city limits, so although a couple of the deputies came out to make sure we were okay, we had to wait for a city cop to come take the report. Had she actually rammed my car through the door and into the building, then it would have been county’s jurisdiction. Isn’t bureaucracy fun?
We were all fine, and when we finished up outside and went downstairs to dispatch to pick up my friend the mini-Marli told her, in tones of the greatest wonder and delight, “We had a car accident!” My friend said, “I know, I dispatched it!”
Hope you and your mom are both still feeling okay. Sometimes the aches and pains sneak up on you.
