Car Crashes

CAR CRASHES

I was in six car accidents in the year after I got my driver’s license. I got smart after my high school car crashes and read a defensive driving book. I was a better driver, and the accident rate went down. I went six or seven years without problems until Debbie and I were driving up Little Cottonwood Canyon. A truck was pulled off to the side - the wrong side of the road - which meant it was facing us.

The fool in the truck decided to pull out just as we reached him. That meant we had two choices. Pull into the other lane or pull off the road. The truck was in my lane.

Then suddenly there was a car in the other lane. Both lanes are now full, and our only choice is the trees. This meant we had to pull off the near side of the road going about 35 miles per hour. We bounced along about 5 feet and then crashed hard into a tree. The tree limb hit the windshield and the Debbie's forehead hit the windshield. The glass from the window cut off part of her bangs, which took forever to grow back.

As I looked over to see if Debbie was okay I could see that she was bleeding. She put her hand up to her head to stop the bleeding, and I jumped out of the car and yelled at the idiots in the truck. The car in the other lane had stopped. I think they called EMS, and all I remember is the ambulance taking care of Debbie. I insisted that the guys in the truck stay, but the cop let them go while I was checking on Debbie.

Another wreck and I got to pay for it since the guy responsible was let go. My insurance was already high enough, and the guy responsible for the accident was off the hook. I wasn’t going to report it to my insurance, since that would only mean higher rates for the next few years. So I was blessed to shell out over $2000 to get the windshield replaced and weld on a new part of the frame. It was fixed in time for us to move to California, where I would be starting as a brand new teacher, and get another part-time life-risking side job – painting flagpoles.

I wish I could say I have had my last car wreck, but with my past experiences under my belt, I know I'll have to be extra careful. I'm getting to be so old that now I drive the speed limit on every road. It has a nice side effect. I no longer have to mash the brake when I see the police, and there is a nice sense of calm as you pass through the radar without a worry.

I only wish I had driven better earlier in my life. The same car that had the windshield accident was in two more before it was totaled. We were driving up the hill into Orem and it was snowing lightly. But it was snowing enough that I should have been driving slower. The Volvo in front of me had stopped in the road for some reason, and I didn't see it fast enough. I was able to swerve enough to get from behind the car, but not far enough to avoid a collision. We slid past on the passenger side, and both of the blue Volkswagen bumpers were cleanly sheared off, and we suddenly had half of a dune buggy. The impact pushed us sideways up over the sidewalk where we came to rest, and fortunately, no one was injured. I guess it's really true about Volvo's being a tough car, because when we went to inspect the damage to the other car, there was a small hole in the back panel, about the size of a dime. That was all the damage I could see. I was impressed. My insurance company was not. The company canceled me and I had to get insurance with another insurer.

I wasn't involved in the final accident of the Volkswagen, but I will describe its infamous ending, because it was one of the first times my daughter Tia got to go to the emergency room. Debbie was going to her folks house and as she pulled out at a four way stop only about 8 blocks from their house, some old guy ran the stop sign and t-boned them. Glass shattered all over Tia and she got to get checked out for cuts at the hospital. I was waiting for them in Ogden to celebrate Tia's first birthday. I guess that is one birthday we will never forget, although I doubt she remembers anything about it.

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