On the morning of February 3rd, I was having my usual Thursday at work - trying to accomplish too many tasks in too short a time. The phone rings, and I am the one to answer. All I can hear is my fiance's tone of voice screaming and crying. It was the most dreadful sound and made me shudder with horrific thoughts of what might be happening. Another woman - a concerned citizen who was staying to take care of my fiance and our son - got on the phone to tell me there was an accident. Someone had run a stop sign, hitting our car on the corner of High and Grier.
I immediately hung up the phone and ran into the office.
"I have to go... I have to go NOW. There was an accident."
I burst into tears as a coworker helped me grab my things and told me to remain calm, something I have a hard time doing most days anyway.
It only took us two or three minutes to get to the scene. Ugly. It was so ugly. I ran across the street toward the crowd of people, almost falling on my ass because of a patch of ice I neglected to see. My fiance was strapped to a board, surrounded by paramedics who kept telling me to back up. After calling one of them a few choice names out of frustration, I turned around to find my son's car seat - covered by blankets and protected by a stranger - the woman I had spoken to on the phone. I pulled back the blankets frantically to see his big eyes staring up at me in shock, not a scratch on him.
After an ambulance ride to the hospital and a couple hours of routine tests, my family (and neighbor who was a passenger) is banged up and bruised - emotionally and physically - but they are okay. My car, however, did not fair so well. It is in no way drivable. Totaled. So, now that I was worried less about my family's well-being, I had to deal with the stress of having no vehicle. On top of this, I had to face my fear of confrontation. Calling an insurance company that owes you, knowing they might try to fight it, is a tough task for me. I know, I know - I shouldn't worry about something unless I encounter it. Well, after days of worry, frustration, and anger (trying to get a hold of the guy to no avail) I finally overcame my obstacle. The situation is not yet over, but a weight has been lifted just by speaking to the insurance agent. And, I would like to mention, he was very kind to me. Remember my last post about judgment? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've been judging this poor guy negatively for two days. It's amazing what one fear can do to your way of thinking.
I'm hoping the dust will settle soon. It's been a rough week, but it is one full of lessons for me:
The last one has come and gone from my mind a few times since this whole ordeal started. It is really hard to have compassion when you feel you have been wronged. It is especially hard when this wrong-doing affects your family. However, put simply, shit happens. I don't know anything about the woman at fault for the accident, and I will not hold a grudge toward her. I am just thankful my family walked away from it. That is more important than anything.
To all of you out there, please be careful on the roads. You never know who is going to run a stop sign, rear-end you, or swerve toward your vehicle for whatever reason. And remember, if you are the one running the stop sign, or any number of other things, you could be creating a whole world of hurt for others involved. Many people don't pay enough attention when they get behind the wheel. Let my situation be a stepping stone for you to change your driving habits, even if it only means watching out for other drivers.
I immediately hung up the phone and ran into the office.
"I have to go... I have to go NOW. There was an accident."
I burst into tears as a coworker helped me grab my things and told me to remain calm, something I have a hard time doing most days anyway.
It only took us two or three minutes to get to the scene. Ugly. It was so ugly. I ran across the street toward the crowd of people, almost falling on my ass because of a patch of ice I neglected to see. My fiance was strapped to a board, surrounded by paramedics who kept telling me to back up. After calling one of them a few choice names out of frustration, I turned around to find my son's car seat - covered by blankets and protected by a stranger - the woman I had spoken to on the phone. I pulled back the blankets frantically to see his big eyes staring up at me in shock, not a scratch on him.
After an ambulance ride to the hospital and a couple hours of routine tests, my family (and neighbor who was a passenger) is banged up and bruised - emotionally and physically - but they are okay. My car, however, did not fair so well. It is in no way drivable. Totaled. So, now that I was worried less about my family's well-being, I had to deal with the stress of having no vehicle. On top of this, I had to face my fear of confrontation. Calling an insurance company that owes you, knowing they might try to fight it, is a tough task for me. I know, I know - I shouldn't worry about something unless I encounter it. Well, after days of worry, frustration, and anger (trying to get a hold of the guy to no avail) I finally overcame my obstacle. The situation is not yet over, but a weight has been lifted just by speaking to the insurance agent. And, I would like to mention, he was very kind to me. Remember my last post about judgment? Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've been judging this poor guy negatively for two days. It's amazing what one fear can do to your way of thinking.
I'm hoping the dust will settle soon. It's been a rough week, but it is one full of lessons for me:
- My need to overcome this fear of confrontation
- The ability to take help from others (letting go of pride)
- The importance of family
- Compassion for those who have harmed me or my loved ones
The last one has come and gone from my mind a few times since this whole ordeal started. It is really hard to have compassion when you feel you have been wronged. It is especially hard when this wrong-doing affects your family. However, put simply, shit happens. I don't know anything about the woman at fault for the accident, and I will not hold a grudge toward her. I am just thankful my family walked away from it. That is more important than anything.
To all of you out there, please be careful on the roads. You never know who is going to run a stop sign, rear-end you, or swerve toward your vehicle for whatever reason. And remember, if you are the one running the stop sign, or any number of other things, you could be creating a whole world of hurt for others involved. Many people don't pay enough attention when they get behind the wheel. Let my situation be a stepping stone for you to change your driving habits, even if it only means watching out for other drivers.
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