Stuff Happens

The following is taken from an email I sent last Tuesday evening to a friend:

tonight... after i got home.. the driveway was covered in ice where this morning's slushy snow froze... and we were all out of salt... so I decided to run to the hardware store and get some. i got there, but didn't make it back.. i topped a slight hill/curve and the truck kept going where it should have been turning..

i've never had a 'serious' car accident before... it scared me... i've never been in the situation where ... well... where i was tonight... i was driving along then all of a sudden, i was going straight when I should have turned... power pole coming straight at me and nothing in the world i could do about it... i tried to steer around it but my truck was not steering... it was just sliding... i hit the pole head-on and it smashed in my grill really bad... the air bag went off... i didn't get a bruise... but when i got out, i could see the power pole was 'leaning' so i went to the nearby house in a hurry.....

it turns out the pole was 'busted' a few feet up from the ground... but didn't snap in two.. my truck may have been holding it up - at least that's what the state trooper thought... so he wouldn't let the tow truck even take it away until PP&L got there to do something about holding the pole up...

he was nice enough... but he told me that where i lost control there was no sign of ice... he said he didn't smell any alcohol, but had i perhaps stopped for a drink? I told him that i normally do not drink, but did have a beer about 6 months ago. he asked what time i got up this morning - if i was tired and maybe fell asleep... No. Got up at 7 like normal... and was feeling fine... -- i think he was doing his job - acting the skeptic and trying to see if i'd admit any mistakes/wrongdoing.

the point was, there is a slight curve at the top of that hill and drifted, packed snow and frozen slush were all over the place there... you could hardly walk on it... when i topped the hill, i was probably doing too fast... maybe 40-45 which is a little fast for the conditions... but the road was clear to the point where i lost it... and packed snow and ice from there on....

he didn't write me a ticket, but did advise me that I might receive one in the mail once the 'investigation' was complete. i am pretty sure my truck will be totaled.

i guess, as they say.... the important thing is that I am all right... financially, this could turn out to be a good thing.. the 'value' of the truck is a few thousand more than we owe... coincidentally our van is in the opposite condition, so if state farm pays off the truck and pays us it's book value, i suppose we'd be smart to pay down the other.... on the other hand, we have bills to pay, too... plus i'd like to have another truck... my little car is okay... but i love(d) my truck.

well... i am thankful to still be here... when that pole was hurtling toward me... and the airbag deployed... i could just see myself being smashed to bits... and ... there was nothing... not a bruise...

so, that was how i ended my day... hope yours is better!

Well. A week has passed since I wrote this email. The truck was, indeed, totalled. The power pole had been "leaning" after I hit it. The power company replaced it late that night or early the next morning.

I walked away without a scratch. The only soreness I noted, may have been from shovelling ice on Wednesday morning, because I didn't notice it till Wednesday night and Thursday, and that was in my upper arms.

When I saw the pole coming toward me - or rather, me toward it - I tried my best to 'steer around' it, and it hit the passenger side of the truck. The back end of the truck slid sideways somewhat, helping to absorb the impact. Between that, the seatbelt and airbag, and the fact I saw it coming and braced myself against the steering wheel, I was fine.

The nice state trooper, did issue me a citation. There was no mention of his probing questions concerning 'where' I lost control. Rather, it was pointed out that I was travelling at a rate of speed in which I could not stop in time to avoid colliding with the power pole. All of which is true. The citation was 'safe speed for conditions' (seems kinda backwards - it should be, unsafe speed for conditions). The fine? Only $25. But, in Pennsylvania, that amounts to a little over $105, once they add the 'fees', 'costs', and related. Plus two points on my Pennsylvania driver's record.

Am I complaining? Absolutely not. I am sad about my truck. It was a good vehicle and I should have been more careful. But, I walked away - it protected me as it should. And life goes on.

I have heard discussion about whether God is your 'co-pilot' or not... and some say that he should be your 'pilot' instead. I am not qualified to say what he/she is, or what he/she thinks - I just know that my situation could have been much worse, and I say a hearty 'Thank You' for that.