I got in a car accident around 9:45 tonight. I wanted to get it all written down before the events become hazy in my mind.
I was driving to Conroe (my parents' house) from Nacogdoches (my apartment). I was headed South on hwy 59 - just outside of Nacogdoches city limits. It was raining REALLY BAD, and the streets were partially flooded in some spots. I was in the right lane and went ot change lanes (to the left lane). My car started to hydroplane, so I lightly put my foot on the brake to try to get it under control, at which point, my car did a 360 and proceeded into the median. At that point, I tried putting my foot on the brake as hard as I could in order to try to stop it before it reached the lanes heading North. I also tried turning my wheel to get the car to go down the median instead of going towards the oncoming traffic. Well, my car finally stopped, and I thought it was in the clear. When the car stopped, the air bags deployed. This made me nervous b/c there was smoke everywhere, so I covered my face with my arms and closed my eyes. At this point, I got hit by a "car." I quickly grabbed my purse and tried to get the car door open, which was very difficult. It is a good thing I lost so much weight b/c I'm not so sure I would have been able to squeeze through the door if I hadn't. Well, come to find out, I was actually hit by an 18-wheeler. The man hit the hood on the front passenger side. The "dent" is VERY bad; it goes past the tire. After getting out of the car, I was very shaken up and breathing very deeply trying to calm myself. The an in the 18-wheeler moved his car over to the right side of the road to get out of the way of the oncoming traffic. A man in another truck pulled over as well to see if he could assist (at least he was cute - yes, I can still have a sense of humor in a time like this). They both crossed the street over to me. the cute guy held his umbrella over me in an attempt to keep my dry, and he kept patting my back telling me to breath. The both asked if I was fine. My entire left arm and my right hand were tingling (as if asleep). I gave the cute guy my cell phone so that he could call the police; I was too shaken up to think straight. While waiting for the police to arrive, the cute guy let me sit in his truck to keep warm. Also, I called my parents at this point to let them know what happened. After the police arrived, they called a wrecker and checked out my car. Then, I had to sit in the police car to answer some questions about the accident. They had asked me how fast I was going (60 mph in a 65/70 pmh speed zone). I was then informed that the accident was my fault and I was being given a citation for driving at an unsafe speed in these weather conditions. The police officer said that I could appeal it, but I won't have to deal with it until after Christmas. While talking to police officer, he asked if I had anyone coming to pick me up (a thought that hadn't even occurred to me), so I called my friend Joy to come pick me up. After it was my turn with the police officer, the man from the 18 wheeler had his turn. I called my parents again while I waited for the wrecker to arrive. When the wrecker arrived, I hung up the phone with my dad and talked to him - basically, my car was totaled. Before driving off with my car, he asked if there was anything I needed form it tonight; I told him the only thing I cared about was my purse, and I already had that. While waiting for Joy to arrive, I talked to a couple of the police officers. They informed me that I am lucky that the 18 wheeler hit my car where it did; totherwise, things may not have turned out as nicely. I told them that I couldn't care less about the car; I was just happy that I came out of it alive and barely injured. Joy finally arrived to get me, and she took me to the hospital to be checked out. Something she was worried about, that I hadn't even thought of, was any repurcussions this accident may have caused to my pouch. Fortunately, though, everything checked out fine. The took an x-ray of my chest b/c I have a seat belt bruise there, and they took an x-ray of my hip b/c it was (is) hurting. My whole left arm is badly bruised as well, but the DR says that is just an air bag burn. Th nurse told me that I need to go to church tomorrow and thank my angels for protecting (after I had told her about the accident). While in the hospital, I thought of a few things that I actually did kind of need from my car tonight: the keys to my apartment, my school bag with the books that I need to study for the test I'm having tuesday and Wednesday, my camera to take pictures. The DR came to talk to me after looking at the x-rays, and informed me that everything was fine. he said he would write me a prescription for pain; I don't remeber what he originally said he was going to give me, but I informed him that I could NOT have anti-inflammatories ( due to my surgery). I told him that I knew for sure that I could have Vicodin, Darvocet, or Tylenol3 with Codine; if he decided to give me Vicodin, I would need Pheneregan to go with it. He decided to give me the Darvocet instead b/c it is a little milder on the stomach (I was kind of hoping for the Vicodin and Pheneregan b/c the knock me out flat). Once I was released from the hospital (around 12:30 am), Joy took me back to my apartment. fortunately, her husband Stephen has keys to the main office, so we were able to go get a key to my apartment. After Joy left, I ate some Fat Free Cheddar and Sour Cream Chips. Yes, I'm aware that carbs are bad. Yes, I'm aware that I was just using them as comfort food, but I didn't (don't) care. I made a very conscious decision to eat those chips; I think I earned them in this case. After eating the chips, I took a hot bath and talked to my mom on the phone one last time just to let her know that everything is ok. As soon as I finishe typing this up, I plan to go to bed (the Darvocet I took is starting to kick in).
Well, I guess that is the whole story. Now, I'm off to bed. Hopefully the pain won't be too bad tomorrow :-( |
