I got in a car crash with an electric pole on Friday.
It may seem a little funny when you just read that and if you could hear how I am saying it in my head along with looking at my face. I think it is funny to talk about with out giving all of the details. So, let's make it real and not funny anymore. It isn't a light hearted situation at all.
I am a teacher at my old dance studio as you all know and they had their show on Friday. They have two shows now, one at five and one at seven. I told Nesha, the director, that I would help backstage at the first show. Well, I was on my way there from Payson. I was going to help McKenna Meservy with her hip because she was having some pain. There is the setup of this whole situation.
I was driving east from Payson on Salem Canal Road. There was a truck in front of me that was going way below the speed limit and I was getting frustrated. Well, I decided to turn a road earlier then I usually would. I made a left turn onto 1700 West in Payson and I thought I had cleared the turn and started to accelerate up to 30 (the speed limit). Before I go on you need to know that I turn hard. I can turn with a lot of speed and this left turn did not make me stop since Salem Canal Road is the busier street. Elk Ridge Drive (the road I usually would take) does however make you stop before you turn or even go straight.
So I turned and thought, I had cleared the turn right? Something caught my eye that I looked down at the passenger seat. I looked back up not even two seconds later and there was the electric pole, just a few feet in front of me, on the drivers side. I freaked out, closed my eyes and turned the wheel to the left.
The pole crushed the entire hood of my little 1991 Nissan Sentra, which I paid for by myself thank you. The weird thing is, the air bags did not go off and the dashboard is completely untouched. I had my seat belt on because, well I am paranoid first off and then I also have automatic ones that come across my chest.
I remember opening my eyes back up and seeing the pole, wooden and obviously old, break off of the base, pop up to hit the top of my car (not making a dent somehow!) just to go over my car and land on the ground with the power cords still attached to the pole. My car kept going and I had only hit the break and not the clutch. I am happy that I didn't think about keeping the car going to put in the clutch because that would not have helped any with the pole landing on my car. It probably would have been much much worse if I had done that.
I walked out of this with a totaled car, a bruised chest and left arm, a few broken blood vessels on my right arm, bruised knees from hitting underneath the steering wheel, a broken Xiphoid Process (the tip of the sternum the the seat belt covers. It is super common in car accidents and CPR; yes I did learn that in my Medical Anatomy and Physiology class my Senior year of high school and remember that), and major whiplash in my neck and back. It is hard to hold my back straight or to hunch over and holding my head up is extremely hard at times of the day.
I am alive. That is what matters. I am still extremely shaken up and now have to walk EVERYWHERE I go. At least it now gives me an actual reason to buy a bike other than me just wanting one right? I am not expecting anything from the insurance and even if the car was repairable, I wouldn't. I can't afford to pay for that kind of work to be done. The whole thing was smashed in! Honestly, just trying to remember what I saw when I looked up as well as when I opened my eyes scares the living daylights out of me.
Being in a car doesn't scare me but I think I will be scared to drive for a very long time. I never in a million years thought that this would have happened to me.
It was not my time to leave this earth. The Lord has definitely let me know that I need to be much much more careful with my life and the things I do. This was a major wake up call for me. I don't think I could ever be thankful enough for the Lord's hand in this. I don't know who my guardian angel but I know I had someone there telling me to look up when I did. If I hadn't, I don't even want to think about that. It just freaks me out to think that I would not be able to dance anymore. It helped me make my final decision about my choice for my course of study.... I care too much about the human body and the art that a healthy body can do that I will be double majoring in Dance and Athletic Training, getting my teaching degree, and going on to Physical Therapy. It is what I need to do with my life and I now know that.
Thank you for your love and support through everything! It makes me feel so much better about the whole thing. I am just happy that I didn't leave this world because I easily should have died. If you want anymore details than those that are already posted like the fact that I did NOT get a citation from the sheriff (nicest guy ever), then just post a comment or wait for something else I guess. :) Love you all!
