The accident wasn't nearly as bad as it looks, but it was scary was hell. I was making a right turn, going to speed limit and everything, and, well, I "lost control." That's the story that the girl that was with me and I are telling everyone at least. Anyway, I lost control and went up on the curb and immediately I was staring down a pole head on. I had probably, .25-.5 seconds to react and steer so that we wouldn't hit it right with the middle of the car. Somethign clicked in me, and I just spun the wheel to the left and was able to simply graze it.
However, as you can see by the pictures, a simple graze left a lot of damage. The poles are made to come down to reduce injury if you are to hit them head on, and it didn't come down so I obviously didn't hit it too hard. Got back on the road, turned the car off and just sat there in shock for like five seconds. Two aquaintances of mine ran up to the car and saw sarah, the girl i was with, first and asked her what happened. The girl aquaintence then ran up to me (I was still in the car) freaking out asking if I was sober (I was, 100%).
We decided to get out of the car as something was leaking in the front and we didn't know what it was. I called my parents, told them what happened and we just stood there for probably a minute and then the cops roll up. They asked what happened, I explained and they started accusing me of speeding. The one cop would not let it go, he must have asked me literally 7 times throughout the night if I was speeding. I wasn't.
Anyway, Sarah then calls her parents and lets them know what happened and they are on their way. I get the officer my lisence, he asks for insurance and I remember that I didn't have recent insurance in the car and I had told my parents multiple times that I needed it and they hadn't done anything. I act like I'm looking for it, my parents pull up and I tell them the deal. They talk with the one cop and run home to get the insurance.
Sarah's mom and brother pull up and I just feel horrible at this point. She's hispanic and her parents can be very strict at times. They didn't want her riding in cars with teenagers for this very reason and they trusted me (She tells me all the time how much her parents love me) and now I believed that was all ruined. This is probably what, at the time, affected me the most. The whole reputation factor. The asshole cop leaves and it's just the two families and the cool cop.
We just are all standing there thankful no one got hurt, the cop gives us the low down of what's going to happen and he proceeds to go into his car to begin writing the tickets. Sarah and her family are about to leave and I give her mother a hug and then give Sarah a nice long one, felt really good. =]
That's basically it. The cop writes the tickets, I'm charged with failure to remain on the road, failure to reduce speed, and destruction to government property. I have a court date but I forget when it is.
This accident really did change me. It happened on the 7th and all I could think about yesterday was how lucky I am that no one got hurt. I can't imagine if Sarah would have gotten hurt what that would have done to me. I would have been a mess. She is one of the most important people in my life right now, and knowing that for a brief second, we were both staring down death and I was in control of her life, it's a weird feeling. I was given a ride home from a lan party yesterday from a friend who drives nearly the exact same car as me, and it was so weird looking at the passenger side and thinking "What if."
I'm so happy everyone is okay and the only damages are monetary (and maybe a little mental damages for me :-p). I appreciate life in a different way now, I cherish my friendship with Sarah to a whole new level and this accident could possibly bring about a lot of good.
Life is way too frail. People don't realize it. I wish everyone did.
Edit: Wow just looking at the pictures sends shivers down my spine =/
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Edited by Raillery, 09 June 2007 - 01:00 PM.
