Saturday, January 24, 2015

Really Crappy Day

Yesterday was a really crappy day.

Thursday evening I was driving home from a Chemistry lab. I had stopped at Carl's Jr. to pick up some food for my siblings (such a nice seester, I know). Both of my parents were out of town on business trips, and I was too tired to go home and make dinner for them after a four hour lab.

There was a lot of rush hour traffic. I was nearing a green light when the car in front of me slammed on their brakes. We weren't going very fast and I had enough space between us that I was able to slam on my brakes too without so much of a hassle. (Fun fact: I did the "mom seatbelt" to save my hamburger in the passenger seat. #priorities) The light was still green and we were sitting there waiting for traffic to move.

All of a sudden, I'm thrown forward into my steering wheel as I hear the sickening crunch of metal and shatter of glass. My brain goes into overdrive as I realize that my car was just hit and I was in a car accident. I was too afraid to move and I shook all over. I didn't want to look behind me to see just how bad the damage was. It all happened to fast -- it was just like a scene out of a movie. I was soaked in a large diet coke and I was cold and I was scared. I don't remember who, but one of the guys involved in the accident asked me if I was okay. I don't even remember what I said besides, "Is it bad?"

We all managed to pull over into a strip mall that bordered the intersection. My car snapped over pieces of plastic and glass as I drove into the parking lot. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that those noises were the sounds of broken off pieces of my car.

*insert sobbing emoji*
When we pulled over, I learned there were actually four (!) cars involved in the accident. The reason the guy in front of me slammed on his brakes was because the first guy (a high schooler) didn't go even though there weren't any cars in front of him and the light was green (I have a good hunch that he was probably texting). The guy who slammed into me was going over the speed limit (45 mph+) and wasn't paying attention when he crashed into me. The force pushed my car into the car in front of me, although we still had a good amount of space between us so the damage wasn't bad at all comparatively on his end.

We exchanged information, etc. etc. etc... I was still so jittery when we finished that I sat in my car for a bit before I could even start it again. I wasn't sure how drive able my car was, but I was determined to get home. My neck and back hurt, I felt sick to my stomach, and I just wanted to be home. I started driving my car back and it smelled a little funky. I didn't really care and I kept driving. Not even a minute later, my car quickly started filling up with smoke even though I had all of the windows open. I could barely see through all of the smoke. I knew I didn't have a choice and I pulled over. I was so afraid something was going to catch on fire.

I pulled over, got out of the car, and stood there for a second. Well, shit. My car was done. It was cold outside and I didn't have a jacket. I couldn't sit in my car because it was full of smoke. My parents were out of town. My phone was almost dead. My whole body hurt. I had no way to get home. I was seconds away from sitting down on the ground and crying.

The whole back of my seat popped off from the impact. :(

I took a moment to feel sorry for myself, then I put my big girl panties on and called a family friend with the last battery I had left on my phone. She picked me up, we loaded my crap into her car, and ditched my poor little guy. 

I went to urgent care (which was really scary and it sucked) and she recommended I go to the ER (which I didn't). I got a prescription for muscle relaxants (which did nothing to help with the pain) and finally went home. I ate about half of my cold burger and went to bed. 

And later that night I woke up with food poisoning from that damn burger and puked my brains out.

I spent all of today on the phone with insurance people. I hate how technical everything is in car accidents. There is a lot of paperwork and recordings and things that need to be sorted out for a claim. My car is pretty much totaled now, and I need a car for my job and to get to school. I was able to get a rental car, but my insurance company only covered me for four days (maybe it's because I'm under 25? I don't know, but it's dumb). I'm not sure how I'm going to find a car in four days (especially because I have school on Monday and Tuesday and car places aren't open on Sundays). 

lol I got a Prius as my rental

The whole thing is just really stressful and I wish that it never happened... But live and learn, right? It just taught me that no matter how careful and skilled you are as a driver, sometimes things are completely out of your control and you have to be prepared if something like that happens. Safe cars are important for that reason. They protect from the unknown and uncontrollable. I've gotta say... My car held up really well considering the impact.


lol come on dude...

I finally got my car back... The tow truck driver left the car at my house when I was at the doctor today. He literal left it in my front yard. What the hell, dude. Now it looks like my family is a bunch a hillbillies with a beat up car sitting on the front lawn. Just call me Billie-Jo from now on.

The thing is, it could have been a lot worse and I'm so thankful that it wasn't. I may be super sore all over, and my whole abdomen feels like I went to some ab workout class that I did NOT sign up for, but I'm okay and that's really what matters. And lastly, Little Guy wasn't in the car, and words cannot even describe how relieved I am at that.

Today I have to find a car. 

Wish me luck. 



No comments:

Post a Comment

DESIGNED BY ADRIEN DESIGN
POWERED BY BLOGGER