“NOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
That’s what I yelled this morning in the car.
As I was driving to work, heading south on Crowchild, there was a lot of stop and go traffic. I always find that weird, since it’s pretty much an uncomplicated drive. Alas, the morning commute, as I’m beginning to realize, is dreadful. So I was driving along, I switched lanes, and then I noticed a car tailing me a bit closely. I thought, “Why is he following me so closely??”. The temperature was rising; the snow was melting, and the roads were wet. Then suddenly, people ahead of me were stopping fairly abruptly. So I slowed quickly and stopped. And the guy behind me stepped on his brakes, and apparently slid a bit, but he had it under control (so he said). Then the girl behind him smashed into his car… and he smashed into me… and I hit the car in front of me. ARGH! Once I heard the hit, I yelled “NOOOOOO!”. It seems like the appropriate reaction at the time.
Thank goodness everyone was completely unharmed. And I very much appreciated that everyone’s first concern was whether or not everyone else was okay! The four of us were a bit rattled as expected. And for the two cars behind me, the damage looked like it could cost a bit. But we all walked away unscathed, and that’s the main thing. I’ve never been in an accident before, and this was definitely an interesting first experience, with getting information, calling the insurance company, and filing a police report. Hopefully I don’t have to do this again!
Events like this do remind me that anything can happen in an instant. When you least expect it. The outcome of this accident was good, since everyone was okay, but it could have easily been a lot worse. I try to live my life like each day is my last, and though that’s difficult, I’m reminded once again to try that much more.
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 