(no subject)

[keitanketsueki]

So. I got in my first car accident today, which was scary, but it's made me thankful for a whole bunch of stuff, which is more than I can list in a post, so I'm putting it here.

Also, this is essentially a cross-post from Facebook, so if your read "Thanksgiving in June" there, that's this.

 

1. For the pedestrian witness who made sure everyone was OK, told me the other driver's pregnant, called 911 for us even if I was already on the line, and made sure I was ok when I started crying, even going so far as to tell me to sit down because I was having a panic attack and offering to get me a bottle of water from his apartment nearby. I don't know his name, but he left it with the police and I want to thank him as soon as I can.
2. For the low intensity of the crash.
3. For the safety of baby that the other driver is pregnant with. I'm glad that baby is ok, and that the crash didn't cause her to go into early labor.
4. That the other driver and her passenger didn't yell at me or say anything mean or road rage-y. Actually, they didn't say *anything* to me, but I'm ok with that. I think the crying and shaking scared them, though.
5. For the three Metro officers who responded really quickly and got statements from everyone else first so that I could calm down, and were kind when they asked me questions, and even dug in my messy glovebox for my registration because I forgot to pull it out with my insurace card, and then didn't comment on the fact that I never took the insurance card off the paper it was in when it was mailed to me.
6. For my sister, who wasn't angry that I was late to pick her up and then couldn't pick her up because I got hit, and even posted the funny thing that happened when I called. (She thought I was a crazy customer) and then RAN two blocks in the 3:00 100-degree ish heat in pants without water to the accident site to make sure I was ok, then gave me gum and hugs until we left, and handled the phone calls I kept getting from Mom and Dad and Tobie.
7. For Mom, who left work (where she was teaching class) like three hours early to come and get me and make sure that I was ok, then texted her parents, my brother, and her coworkers so they knew what happened, and that I was okay, then drove me home after the police told us we could go, then wasn't mad even if I didn't get to clean house like she asked me to.
8. For Dad, who left Costco in in a big hurry even though he and Tobie were still busy shopping and told me what I needed to do and who handled the tow for my car because I was too shaken to think straight and figure out what needed to be done.
9. For Tobie, who also left Costco in a big hurry though she and Dad were shopping, then let Rebecca sit in her car with the air on because she was nauseous from running and stress and adrenaline, then told me stories about her car accidents and made me laugh with some funny ones, asked the officer who finally made the report if I was free to go, then took Becca home for me because my car was being towed.
10. For my brother, who called me and made sure I was ok and promised to look at the damage done to my car because he knows cars and how to fix them, even though he's really busy.
11. For my grandparents (all four of them), who either texted and said they were thankful that I'm ok and were shaken by what happened even though they're like 6000 miles away or talked to me on the phone and made me feel better when I was still shaky.
12. For my wonderful friend Rochelle, who called while I was still on scene at the accident and scared and desparate to hear a friend's voice, and called completely out of the blue(!), then worried until I called her after and said I was ok and that the accident wasn't serious, and then chatted to make me feel better.
13. For Gemini, my Yorkshire terrier, who cuddled with me when I got home despite being surrounded by Dad, Mom, Tobie, and Becky, and is still by my side.
14. For whatever instinct or premonition or higher power that told me not to bring the dog to pick up Rebecca today, thereby keeping her safe, whole, and alive.
15. For my cat, who cuddled with me (even if she doesn't like touching people) when I got home, despite it being out of character for her.
16. For my Twitter/LiveJournal and Facebook friends who asked how I was when they heard what happened.
17. For my Volvo, which kept me safe in the accident.
18. For whoever designed my car and made it so that it's really safe and didn't get too damaged because it's made of metal and not fiberglass.
19. For whoever decided to put front AND side airbags in my car, as my car was the first produced with them, even though I didn't need them.
20. For whatever higher power that kept me from hitting the pedestrian near my car, coincidentally the same guy who helped me so much.
21. For the same higher power that kept me from hitting the green car that was going in the opposite direction of the car that hit me that I came REALLY close to hitting.
22. For the other witnesses who gave their infomation and told me the accident wasn't my fault and wrote their names and phone numbers down when my hands shook too badly to do it myself.
23. For the random nausea I felt after eating the tuna salad lunch that made me decide to brush my teeth before I left so I didn't stink of tuna.
24. For the new tires that probably helped me stop faster than my old, bald ones would have.
25. For the fact that no one was injured in the accident, not the other driver, or her passenger, or her baby, or me. Other driver had some trouble breathing but turned down an ambulance and I got a small scrape on my left wrist, as well as a slight bruise on my neck and maybe on my abdomen from the seatbelt.
26. For everyone who ever made me wear a seatbelt, because I probably would have flown through the window if I hadn't.
27. For the heels that I left in my car because I was too lazy to take them out and then was able to change into when the soles of the flip-flops I was wearing started burning my feet (they're black suede).
28. For the fact that I managed to find everything that fell out of my purse, and my MP3 player, which fell off my lap in the crash, and that I remembered to get almost everything I wanted out of the car. I forgot my L'Arc~en~Ciel Smile and Nine Inch Nails With Teeth and Hand That Feeds Remixes CDs, but that's okay and I can get them later.
29. For Amanda, the insurance adjuster from Progressive who called me at 5:18 and expected to stay on the line with me past the time her office closed and is handling the insurance stuff.
30. For the fact that I think that the speed limit on Bridger is 30 (The police officers guesstimated 35) and the fact that 6th's is 25, which helped keep the damage to a minimum.
31. For the fact that I keep paper in my car, just in case.
32. For the fact that I carry my pencil case with me in my purse and therefore had writing utensils to take down witness information (the other driver didn't.)
33. For the fact that I had my cell phone and it didn't go flying when we crashed so I could call 911, though I can't remember for sure if it was on the passenger seat or in my ashtray.
34. For the EMTs, who responded even if they weren't needed, despite the other driver being about six months pregnant and having breathing trouble, and made sure everyone was ok, plus told me what to expect physically after the accident and adrenaline wore off.

That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure that there is more. And love and safe driving to everyone!