Accidents will happen. Here's one that did...

Greetings, readers. I know it's been a long while, but I promise I will try to post a bit more often to this blog. Of course, you know the old saying: if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

Today is the anniversary of a very memorable day in my life. One year ago today, I was in a horrific roll-over accident that could easily have killed both me and my brother Don, who was riding shotgun. The fact that we are both alive today is nothing short of a miracle.

I figure that today, one year later, is as good a day as any (and better than most) to tell the full story of what happened. This story isn't going to be as funny as previous posts, but it's a tale that needs to be told.

Don and I volunteer every summer at Cub Scout Day Camp for the Aurora District of the BSA, Chief Seattle Council. I am the Chief of Staff for Day Camp, and Don is the Rangemaster (Archery instructor.) I also volunteer as Rangemaster at the annual Camporee (the District-wide camping trip) every May. In order to legally run an Archery range for the Scouts, we are required to have our BSA Shooting Sports licenses renewed every two years.

So Don was in town, and we went to the Lions' Club camp in Renton to sit through the same old lecture and get our credentials renewed. Afterward, Don invited me to join him and his girlfriend Heather for lunch at Mr. Gyros, a really awesome Greek restaurant in Greenwood. So we get in my SUV and get onto I-405 South.

Almost at the interchange where we will be getting onto I-5 North, we were traveling at a decent clip, keeping up with the flow of traffic. I glanced over my shoulder for maybe half a second, in order to change lanes to the left. When I looked back, the traffic in front of us was at a dead stop. I slammed on the brakes, and heard the tires screeching. I could tell by the feel of the car that we wouldn't be able to stop in time to avoid rear-ending the car in front of us, so I quickly tried to pull into the lane to our left, which had more room to stop.

We made it about halfway into the next lane when the SUV jackknifed to the left and went up onto its two right wheels, skidding sideways. I still remember the stuttering screech of the tires skidding on the asphalt. I think I said "Oh God, hold on!" as I felt the car tipping past the point of no return.

The next few seconds were a cacophony of crashing noises, as I saw the windshield in front of me shatter and felt myself being thrown about in my seat. After about 3 seconds, the crashing stopped and I saw that we were settled on the passenger's side of the car.

(Sidebar: I never was 100% comfortable driving that SUV. I had to practically relearn how to steer in that thing. It always felt unsteady and top-heavy. This SUV was the same wheelbase as my old Taurus, but was twice as tall, so the center of gravity was much higher. I always said I felt like a giraffe on a unicycle when I was driving in such a wobbly car.)

I heard the engine still running, so I turned off the ignition (I distinctly remember putting the car in Park before doing so, even though we were on our side.)

I looked down at Don, who was awake.
"Don! Are you all right?!"
"Yeah, I think so. Are you?"
"I'm okay. Call 911."
"Dude, I have no idea where my phone is. I think it flew out the window." (It did. It was later found on the road; its screen was smashed, but it still worked. Apple makes a tough cell phone.)
"Avery, there's a pool of blood by my head. Am I bleeding, or are you?"
"I think it's me, but I don't think it's bad."
"Wiggle your fingers and your toes. Do you still have full movement?"
"Yeah. Do you?"
"Yes."

That was when bystanders arrived and told us Emergency Services were on their way. The firefighters yanked the windshield out, cut Don's seatbelt, and he was able to crawl out the front window and stand under his own power. The firefighter asked me if my leg was pinned next to the wheel. I said "No, I just wedged it in there so I wouldn't fall over on my brother." I tugged my leg free, and got into a standing position, lying sideways across the front seats with my feet on the ground through the passenger window. They cut my seatbelt, and I carefully crouched onto my hands and knees, and crawled out the window.

On the paramedics' instruction, I crawled onto a body board, laid face-down on it and rolled myself over onto my back. They lifted the board up, and put me on a gurney, which they soon put into the back of an ambulance. I remember being asked questions to ascertain whether I was conscious and responsive. My name, the date, where I was, etc. Don told me he'd found my phone. No damage. (Samsung makes a *really* tough cell phone.)

While I was in the ambulance, being looked over, a State Trooper came in to question me. Had I been drinking? No. Any drugs in my system? No. Was I on my cell phone while driving? No. Finally, the Trooper tells me he's sorry to do this, but he has to issue me a citation for "Following too closely to avoid a collision."

Dude. REALLY?! I was strapped to a gurney in the back of an ambulance! Couldn't that maybe wait until later? And he actually handed me the damn ticket! He was literally adding insult to injury.

And for the record, I didn't actually crash into anyone, so technically, I was able to avoid a collision. But oh well, the ticket is long since paid.

Later on, I heard through Don that the guy in the car behind us saw the whole thing. We rolled 3 full times, across the guardrail into oncoming traffic on I-405 North. Thankfully, we didn't hit anybody, and nobody hit us. The paramedic who came up on the scene said he was sure there would be at least one fatality. Nope. Don and I are both fine.

The ambulance took me to Valley Medical Center, where they put me through a barrage of tests to make sure there were no injuries to my brain or spine. I was given x-rays and a head CT, they tested my reflexes and responses, and asked me if I had been drinking or using drugs. I told them the truth: no alcohol, no illegal drugs, and the only medication that may show up in my tests might be the muscle relaxants I had taken for the last time my back was thrown out; however, I had been off them for the last 5 days.

The final diagnosis? A scalp laceration where the moonroof had shattered and scraped my head, leaving shards of glass in my scalp; and a neck sprain, caused by my head getting mashed into my body like a Pez dispenser. The nurse was able to get almost all the chunks of glass out of my scalp, except for one I found and pulled out 3 weeks later. A few months of physical therapy and rehab exercises with my chiropractor took care of my neck problems. Thankfully, Don was just a little banged around; his leather jacket took most of the pounding for him.

I was treated and released less than 5 hours after the accident, and took the next week off work to recover. I am very aware that Don and I were incredibly lucky to have walked away from such a horrific accident that could easily have killed us both. The SUV was a total loss, but the insurance company was amazing in helping me get the treatment I needed and quickly getting me the money to help buy a new car.

I have learned a few things from this accident, and I hope I can impart the same lessons to my dear readers, just in case (God forbid) something like this happens to anyone else.

1. Seat belts save lives. They saved mine and my brother's. So BUCKLE UP.
2. Traffic around you can change speed and density without any warning. Keep constantly aware of your surroundings when you are driving. Tailgating is freaking stupid.
3. If you get hurt and need time off work, get your FMLA (Family Medical Leave Act) forms filled out quickly, and make sure copies are faxed to the doctors who treated you, ASAP. This will make sure you don't rack up unexcused absences, and don't lose a paycheck.

And while I am grateful not to have been seriously hurt, I do wonder about the timing of totalling my car...2 months after I made the last payment on the damn thing! God help me, the title was barely out of the envelope!