so i was in a car accident about 3 weeks ago. it was 2 days before i came back to skool. 2 minutes from my house. one lane, dirt road, that iv driven a thousand times. i was on my way home to take a shower and get ready for my b-day party that night. i had spent the morning working at my church providing childcare and Bible lessons to children whose parents were in a parenting seminar (which was organized and put together by my mother). as i came around the corner i found myself staring straight into the grill of an SUV. i instinctively turned my car to the left and my head to the right as i watched the inevitable in horror. the next thing i knew the left side of my face especially my ear was in excrutiating pain and i couldnt hear anything. i felt dizzy and confused and everything around me seemed to move in slow motion as i tried to comprehend my injuries and the airbag in front of my face. i thought to myself "this is bad. u have just been involved in a serious accident. you r probably not mortally wounded but its definately not good. this is bad. u might hav a concussion. it feels like your face has been torn off even tho it probably hasnt. this is bad" i wasnt sure how severely i was injured but i knew that something was really wrong. i was crying partially from pain but mostly from confusion as i mentally checked my body for serious injuries and wondered if i'd be able to move. slowly i unclicked my seat belt and opened my door. the lady in the other car had jumped out of her car yelling (i could hear her well thro my open windows) at me that it was my fault and i was on the wrong side of the rode which confused me further...i kept thinking "it is a one-lane road, how could i hav been on the wrong side? will i get in trouble for this? how is this my fault? how did i mess up so badly? i tried to avoid the accident, she never saw me. she didnt try to avoid hitting me." i noticed that her airbags had not deployed and her car was only smashed in at the bumper which was lodged against mine. at some point a retired fireman that lived accross the street came to check on us because he heard the crash. i remmeber his somewhat comforting presence by my car as we waited for the paramedics. the other lady and i both called the police and explained the situation; her yelling, me in tears and disoriented. the woman on the phone was very friendly and helped keep me from panicking. at some point before the police got there the woman i collided with got back in her car and put it in reverse pulling it away from mine. confused, i turned my car off and realized it was still in gear so i put it in park even tho it wasnt going anywhere as the front half was completely smashed in. moments later i remember her pulling forward a few feet over back up close to my bumper. part of me freaked out thinking she was going to hit me again, while the other part of me could still barely comprehend wat was happening. at this point i was thinking "what is she doing? i dont think you are sposed to move yer car till the police get here. is she going to ram me or something? she never asked if i was ok... y would she move her car wen im obviously injured and its lodged with mine?" thro the entire incident my biggest and most appalling memory is hearing her say over and over again that it was my fault and the fact that she never asked if i was ok. the police, paramedics, and fire department arrived moments before my parents and the rest is probably typical. i was issued a citation even tho the police never asked me what happened. my parents held me as i lost it a couple times from being rattled, hurt, and accused. the tow truck came and eventually we left after my parents graciously offered the lady some water and made sure she was ok (i never got up the ability to speak to her becuase she was so nasty towards me and i was a complete mess). my b-day party went on almost as planned and it was fun but by the end i was really feeling sore and still could barely hear anything in my left ear. and had a badly sprained wrist (and the most gorgeous bruises iv ever had lol).
for 3 weeks now i hav been almost completely deaf in my left ear. last week it started hurting so i went to the doctor and was told i would either hav to live with being partially deaf the rest of my life or undergo some sort of surgery. neither option sounded good and i am pleased to say that in the last few days i hav slowly been regaining my hearing. God is so good and i hav definately learned how to appreciate my hearing more and not take it for granted. i hav to go back to court in october and im hoping that the judge will listen to my side of the story and greatly reduce my ticket, but the main thing is im happy to be alive and to be regaining wat little i lost. life is so precious and every sense is an amazing gift.
the woman i collided with was from the city. im pretty sure that no one from around where i live would hav ever acted so outragiously (this is not to say that all city-folk are uncaring and ridiculous). but i felt very attacked by her and i really need to search my heart and pray for her instead of harboring resntment and anger for the way she treated me and my parents. city rules are different than country ones. in the country if someone is injured whether it is their fault or yours, their welfare comes first. sometimes i feel like in the country life is valued so much more than material things like cars or schedules or anything else. but no matter how degraded and hurt i feel i cannot, as a Christian, allow my feelings to fester. just like i am more important than a car, that lady that i collided with is more important than my hurt feelings and perforated ear drum.
