Cursed Car

I am not a superstitious person. However, I am beginning to think my car carries some sort of curse with it. It seems the only likely explanation of my latest, in what is becoming a rather large file, of hit-from-behind accidents.

Last Saturday my sister and her family came in from Iowa to spend some time in St. Louis. Around 5:30 we ventured over to my St. Louis sister's house where we were going to have a big family barbecue. About half way there I realized that I had forgotten to bring the food I had signed up to bring. Instead of turning around and going back I told Stuart just to head to Sarah's and we'd drop everyone off and I would come back for the food.

At Sarah's I say a quick hello to my sister and explain I'd be back. Then I say hello to my mother, who offered to come with me. I was tempted to have her come because it's much more fun to have company in the car. But I didn't want to take her away from the family so I told her it was fine, I'd just go myself. (This is blessing #1).

One or both of my children said they'd come with me in the car. I told him/her to stay and play with their cousins and have fun. (Blessing #2)

I took off for home and grabbed the watermelon and pink lemonade. Took a minute to search for a baseball glove, then headed back. I remember I left the house at 5:56 and thought, "well at least I won't be holding up the b-cue too long."

I had originally planned to take 270 to 70, but the traffic looked crowded so I decided to take Page to Lindberg. (Mistake)

I was exiting onto the Rock Road. The exit is sort of a down hill yield. I had to stop b/c there was a car coming under the bridge. I remember leaning forward over the steering wheel to check for more cars and thinking "I can go after the car" when I hear this big thud and my car lurches forward. The next thing I remember is a guy standing at the passenger side window. He asked me something but I didn't know how to answer. It was as if I had forgotten how to talk. I just knew my head hurt, my neck hurt, and my back hurt. I remember trying to lift my arm and wondering why it was shaking though I was telling it not to shake.

I don't know how long I just sat there. Maybe 15 minutes. I was just mostly confused. I didn't understand why my family wasn't there--after all they were just down the road--why they weren't helping me out of the car. Little by little things came a little clearer. The man told me we needed to get the cars out of the road. I then realized that I was full in the Rock Road lane and later would realize how lucky I was to not have been plowed into by any other traffic. (Blessing #3)

The man asked me if I could drive my car to the parking lot ahead. Of course I could, I thought. I know how to drive. But driving was hard. I sort of coasted to the parking lot and then was confused by the turns but managed to get pulled off. I rolled down my window and the guy asked me if I was all right. I wasn't sure. I asked him for a phone. He handed me his phone. I couldn't remember phone numbers except one. 7 numbers just kept running through my head like a stuck record. I dialed them and heard Sarah's voice. I don't remember exactly what I said, but I think it was something like "I have been hit." I told her I was at the NorthWest Plaza. Then it was quiet.

The man then said, "I don't mean to scare you miss, but I don't have insurance. You need to call the cops so you can tell them that." Still confused a bit I asked, "You need me to call the police?" He handed me the phone back and I dialed 911. I remember very little about that conversation. He just kept asking me where I was and I could only tell him what I saw. He asked about an ambulance and I said I hit my head and was sore.

Now, back at my sister's house, the food is ready to be eaten and I haven't shown up yet. LaDawn and Larry were apparently talking and LaDawn said, "Well I just hope she hasn't been hit." When at that moment Sarah comes running out saying, "Rebecca has been hit!" Larry brings Stuart over to the mall where I am relieved to see someone I know. I am now feeling more lucid, but still not 100% there. Stuart keeps me in the car and tells me just to wait.

Eventually the policeman shows up. I remember giving him some information. The policeman says he's calling an ambulance. The EMT and Fire Dept show up. The EMT man asked me if I wanted to go in the ambulance. I didn't know how to answer that question. All of a sudden health care, Obama, insurance, words like that started going through my mind. I think I said something weird like not wanting to waste resources. The EMT said, "Well this is what we're for." But I still didn't know if I was supposed to go in the ambulance.

Stuart started talking and reminding me about past experiences so I told them I thought I should go with them. I left Stuart with Larry and the police. The EMTs strapped me down to an uncomfortable board and put a cervical collar on. I was being secured in the ambulance when I hear the man who hit me say, "Miss, I am truly, truly sorry and from the bottom of my heart I hope you are o.k." I said, "Thank you." The EMT told him to go.

I was so sleepy. I started drifting off in the ambulance and the EMT started talking to me. I just wanted to sleep. He wanted to talk. He asked me questions. He asked about my airbag. I said it didn't deploy. He said I was fortunate because otherwise I'd have burns on my face and probably broken collar bones since I had been leaning so close to the steering wheel. (Blessing #4)

At the hospital nurse called me Melissa. Melissa? Who's Melissa? I'm Rebecca. She said something about tests being done. Stuart showed up and it was nice to have something familiar that made sense. I knew Stuart. And having him around helped me feel not quite so loopy.

The doctor came in and he seemed frustrated that a CT for my head hadn't been ordered, so he added that to the list. I don't remember the whole conversation and perhaps I imagined the interlude, but it was something about me hitting my head and not being quite with it. So then I waited. And waited. And was very uncomfortable. Eventually I was taken to the CT place. I laughed to myself because this computer voice would say, "Don't move" as if it were possible to move being strapped down. I remember this tiny yellow warning sign inside the machine that said, "Laser Radiation, don't look directly at beam" which of course made me want to look at the beam. It was like I had reverted to childhood when someone says, "Don't look!" and of course you look just because they say don't. But I didn't look. I just shut my eyes and rested.

Eventually the CT results came in and cleared me. So I got to stand up. I had to give a urine sample. I went to the bathroom myself, because don't I know how to do that? But found it surprisingly difficult, but managed. That was the hardest was being out of it, but not knowing I was out of it. They came back for xrays. I asked if I needed the xrays since my CT scan was clear and my back didn't hurt as bad as my neck. The answer I got was, "You don't have to if you don't want to." What kind of answer was that? How do I know if I need them or not? But by then Stuart and LaDawn and Larry were there and sort of helpe me make the decisions I was so confused about. I did the xrays. At some point a nurse came in to give me pain meds. She said she was giving me Vicodin. "Vicodin", I thought. "What is Vicodin? I take Motrin." I asked the nurse if I had to take Vicodin. She said no. I said, "I take Motrin." What would have helped was the nurse sitting down and explaining Vicodin to me and why she was giving it to me because I was confused in the head but didn't know I was confused in the head.

Eventually I was cleared to go home. No broken bones. (Blessing #5) Head injury that would go away. (Not serious enough to keep me overnight) (Blessing #6) The doctor prescribed me Vicodin, Cyclobenzaprine and Motrin. Then Stuart got to take me home.

I got to see my car for the first time. It broke my heart. Not because cars can't be fixed but because my kids' bikes were in the trunk and I didn't want their bikes to be smashed. Then I saw the exploded bottle of lemonade, which explained why I had seen "water" all over the side of my car after I was hit and started coming around. I am grateful the impact only caused one bottle to explode and that the watermelon was mostly contained.

I wanted to say a few words to my car. Wanted to scold it and say, "Don't you know better than to get hit? Haven't I treated you well? And what is up with getting hit 3 times in 2 years?" Of course my cursed car seemed to laugh and say, "Hey, you just paid off your car early, what did you think would happen? This sort of thing always happens. It's like warranties you know. Besides, I was getting tired of the old trunk. The milk the hairys spilled in it seemed to linger longer in there. And hey, I don't have the best working conditions. I get to tote around two loud children. Now I'm at least guaranteed a quiet 2 weeks in the shop." I got in and mumbled something about maybe the car ought to stay at the chop shop.

So now I wait for the car to be fixed, meanwhile dealing with a multitude of insurance people because the driver didn't have insurance. And while yes, I am bummed about that, I will give the man this. In all of the wrecks I have been in he has been the nicest, the most concerned. He never left my car side until someone got there and we moved the cars. He is the one who told me to call the police. He didn't drive away, stayed the entire time. He offered his phone to me since I didn't have one. He took full responsibility. I don't think I ever felt angry at him. It was easy to forgive. Now the no insurance thing is frustrating, the pain is frustrating, but I hope if it is ever me someday who causes an accident that I can be as nice as he was. We all make mistakes in life. And while it is breaking the law to not have insurance and I do think there should be some sort of accountability for it (though I don't think jail is the answer), we're in the middle of a recession. This didn't surprise me.

My suggestion to everyone is this: Have uninsured motorist coverage insurance on your policy if you don't already. This goes towards all hospital bills. You cannot count on your health insurance to cover automobile injuries. They can deny coverage if they investigate and realize it was from a car accident because technically, injuries from automobiles are covered by car insurance policies. Some insurance companies will pay, some won't. I don't think it's worth risking, personally. Believe me, you will want it if something like this ever happens to you.

Oh, and in case you are curious. This is a $5,000 repair to fix.