# I was just in a big car accident. Am ok, but freaking out. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 19, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518 "2009-07-19T07:37:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/1 "2009-07-19T07:37:02Z")
I was just driving home from Missouri tonight, and was on the highway in Erie PA, singing along to Billy Joel’s _The Night is Still Young_, when I lost control of the vehicle at about 60 MPH, swerved back and forth a bit, and then hit the concrete abutment, flipped the car twice (I think)/slid and came to a stop. There was another vehicle involved. I know they were not ahead of me at all; I think that they hit me either directly from behind and/or from the rear/side. I didn’t see their car, but I think they were able to drive away with replacing a tire. The driver/passengers of the other vehicle are all fine. I had two passengers, one of whom is fine but bumped her head, the other has some back pain and soreness and a scrape on his head. They just went to the hospital as a precautionary. I’m physically fine also; just some scrapes from glass in the car both during the accident and as I was crawling out the passenger side door. I’m kind of freaking out though. This could have been horrible. Flipped twice while going ~60mph. I’m trying to not break into tears or hysterics. I’m a bit of a wreck (no pun intended). I’d just love to talk to some people right now as I’m sitting here in this cheap-ass motel in PA alone. My phone broke in the accident or I’d call someone. (oh, and I know the usual warnings about revealing information about accidents/incidents that are being investigated by police/insurance. All the details here are details the police have; I was completely honest, and am not going to ramble on too much about details that I’m not sure of, but thanks in advance for the concern). ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/2 "2009-07-19T08:09:00Z")
Holy crap! Glad you are ok. Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital, just to be sure? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/3 "2009-07-19T08:15:47Z")
Crap! Sorry to hear it, and glad you’re OK. Like **vix** said, it might be an idea for you to get checked out too, even if you feel OK right now. Or maybe you did go to the hospital, and we’re misreading your OP. Anyway, it’s good that it wasn’t worse, and i hope it all gets sorted out OK for you. I’m lucky enough never to have been in any sort of car accident (knock wood), but i can imagine that flipping over and over probably freaks the shit out of you. My mother-in-law drove into a ravine a few years back, and was lucky to escape with just a demolished car. I started a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=336205) about it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/4 "2009-07-19T12:09:27Z")
I’m glad to hear you’re OK. My nephew was involved in a roll-over accident on I-75 a little over a month ago, he’s still in the hospital, and we still don’t know at this point how much of his intellect survived the brain injury, or even if he’ll speak in complete sentences ever again. (The _good_ news is that he’s improving better than expected, so maybe his injuries aren’t as bad an they initially seemed to be) So, yeah, you were lucky, everyone involved was lucky from the sound of it, if there were no severe injuries. It’s OK to freak a bit - that must have been horrible and frightening. It would be a little odd if you _didn’t_ have a strong emotional reaction. I’m assuming you got yourself checked out at a hospital or something, but if you didn’t you really should. Your OP was a little fuzzy on that issue but that’s totally OK right now. Take care of yourself, thank your lucky stars, and I hope you get back to your normal life and routine quickly. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/5 "2009-07-19T12:52:36Z")
Good lord, how scary! Hope all is okay. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/6 "2009-07-19T12:58:19Z")
Wow. I’ve never been in an accident like that. Is it true what people say about time seeming to slow down, life flashing before your eyes, etc? I am glad for you and your passengers that you’re OK. Cars are replaceable, people are not. ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/7 "2009-07-19T13:57:05Z")
I flipped my car over a guardrail during the last storm of the season in March 1996. Fishtailed the back end of my car in the slushy strip while changing lanes and never recovered. I remember skidding towards the left hand guardrail and thinking “Damn it, I’m going to smash my car all to hell!” and never even considered that I might hurt _myself_. I barely remember flipping, except that I recall the sound of all of the glass in the car shattering when I landed on the roof and every window smashed. The car did one whole roll and wound up upright, but the driver’s side was so smashed in, I had to crawl out the passenger side door. Thankfully, I wasn’t seriously injured…I had a cut on the top of my foot and a brushburn on the top of my head (from the upholstery on the ceiling of the car as the roof caved in…yipe!) and my back hurt me for a while, but that fortunately cleared up. This was before I had a cell phone, so a nice trucker pulled over and gave me a ride to the closest exit where I could call my Mom who took me to the hospital to get checked out. Anyway, I know how scary it is, and I hope everything’s OK with you and your passengers (and I’ll join the chorus of going to get checked at the hospital even if you think you feel fine now…the adrenaline will cover up a lot of aches and pains for a while). Hang in there! ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/8 "2009-07-19T14:02:52Z")
Wow. I’ve never flipped a car. I did wrap one around a light pole once. It was not one of those breakaway kind but rather the kind that you can slide a 77 Chevelle into at 60 and it doesn’t flinch. I wasn’t hurt at all. You’re OK! Nobody died! Woo Hoo! Is your car totaled? ---
**Author:** ![Lilacs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Lilacs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lilacs)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/9 "2009-07-19T15:13:12Z")
Eonwe, glad to hear that you’re okay. That sounds really scary. The only accident I was in wasn’t as huge, but my car did spin around three times from the impact. I just remember how time seemed to slow down but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. It’s okay that you’re freaking out. It’s normal. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/10 "2009-07-19T15:37:04Z")
Glad you are mostly OK! It is OK to freak for a little while. ---
**Author:** ![smee\_goan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@smee\_goan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smee_goan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/11 "2009-07-19T22:55:49Z")
…now they blot out precise surgury operations, like they do license plates, and faces in prison shows… Did, 🙂 heh you have a seat belt on? I assume youn did. ---
**Author:** ![King\_Bobo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@King\_Bobo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/King_Bobo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/12 "2009-07-20T00:05:17Z")
Very glad that you are fine and physically well. You must have been traumatized by the experience. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from it all ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/13 "2009-07-20T02:32:45Z")
I’m glad you’re ok! Once upon a time in my young and stupid days, I did accidently did about three donuts in a 4 lane road after edging out into the roadside gravel. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/14 "2009-07-20T03:48:15Z")
We were all wearing seat belts. I just got home in a rental car, about 22 hours after the fact. I’m still physically feeling fine; one of my friends in the car is feeling quite sore (he did go into the hospital last night for x rays). I’m tired, scared, and have been on the verge of tears at multiple points all day during the drive home. I just got permission to go into work late tomorrow, so I think I’ll go to bed soon and try to get a nice long sleep **ETA:** after I shower and get all the tiny glass pieces out of my hair and skin. ---
**Author:** ![Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ce7236/32.png) [@Mona\_Lisa\_Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mona_Lisa_Simpson)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/15 "2009-07-20T04:06:41Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > after I shower and get all the tiny glass pieces out of my hair and skin. About that. It may take a lot longer than you think to get all the bits of glass out. I was in an accident in 1996 ( my little white Hyundai T-boned by a big black BMW) and had glass in my hair and scalp on the right side of face/head.) As I remember some worked out over the next few days, a few surfaced over the next year. When I was pregnant in 2003 (so I know it was 2003) I developed a rather large zit on my right ear lobe… eventually I pulled a (tiny) piece of glass out. Now, it may NOT have been from that accident, but I think I would remember events surrounding a piece of glass embedding in my ear… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/16 "2009-07-20T13:34:47Z")
> [@Eonwe](#): > > We were all wearing seat belts. > > I just got home in a rental car, about 22 hours after the fact. I’m still physically feeling fine; one of my friends in the car is feeling quite sore (he did go into the hospital last night for x rays). > > I’m tired, scared, and have been on the verge of tears at multiple points all day during the drive home. I just got permission to go into work late tomorrow, so I think I’ll go to bed soon and try to get a nice long sleep **ETA:** after I shower and get all the tiny glass pieces out of my hair and skin. Scary, scary shit. I’m so relieved the injuries to your passenger weren’t worse. Thank heaven for the seat belts. **Typo Knig** and I were in a head-on collision - and a few years later, he was hit in a 4-car pileup, and both times all were wearing seatbelts and both times everyone walked away. From your description, I knew you must have been belted in or you would not have walked away from your accident. Second / third the suggestion to consult with a doctor just to be on the safe side. You _will_ be feeling like hell physically for a few days - even if you weren’t injured, you got thrown around, and you’ll be feeling a LOT of muscle soreness as a result. Ibuprofen / Aleve / whatever will be your friends (assuming there’s no contraindication). ---
**Author:** ![PeacePlease](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/71c47a/32.png) [@PeacePlease](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeacePlease)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/17 "2009-07-20T20:08:15Z")
Wow is right. I’m so glad that everyone came out okay. That sounds scary as hell and if I were you I wouldn’t be holding in the crying. Go for it…let it out. I’m also very impressed that you jumped right back in a car. Good for you for having the courage to start driving right away. I’m sure that helped your subconscious get over at least the what could have been an awesome case of scaring yourself out of ever driving again. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2009, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/18 "2009-07-20T20:27:54Z")
Wow - how fortunate that everyone is basically physically fine. But it definitely sounds like there was a traumatic stress involved and you are figuring out how to deal with things post that. Best of luck and tons of strength. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/19 "2009-07-21T06:11:55Z")
I’m glad you’re ok. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518/20 "2009-07-21T06:58:06Z")
I am very pleased you are OK. Cars, roads and the EMT services are so much better nowadays. Seems that when I was a kid if you flipped a car you were dead. (Car was always fine though, lots of nice heavy metal.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-was-just-in-a-big-car-accident-am-ok-but-freaking-out/503518.md?page=2)