This was not the car that hit me, I suspect I would be in much worse shape if it had been.
February 20, 2013 was like any other day. I got up, fed the dogs, made breakfast, worked on my book, had lunch, went to the gym, walked out of the gym and was hit by a moving vehicle.
Honestly, one minute you are just walking across the parking lot and the next minute you are on the hood of a car.
It had just started to snow so I was putting my hood up as soon as I got outside.
I saw the vehicle across from me. I never got the actual make and model, but it was some kind of gray SUV Crossover type vehicle . She was coming toward me down a row of cars looking for a parking space. The car was slowing down, so I took that as a sign that
she saw me. That, unfortunately, was not the case. She was merely braking in order to make an aggressive left turn into the next row of cars. As it turned out I was standing in the middle of the road when she did that.
From
my point of view I saw nothing, because I was still fussing with my hood, and I heard nothing because I still had my headphones on. All of the sudden I see a hood ornament connecting with my left hip. My reaction was to hold on and lift my legs up, because
the car was still moving. When it finally came to a stop I flew off the hood and rolled into the street landing face down (just like something you would see in a movie). Within seconds I had five or six people around me assessing my condition, but I remember
taking those few seconds to think, “Seriously, what are the odds that I was just hit by a car?”
A man came around to my face and said that he was an off duty paramedic. He starts shooting
rapid fire questions at me like, “What's your name? Do you know where you are? Did you black out at all? What do you remember?” I look at him while assessing my own damage and the only injuries I felt were a possible scratch on my elbow and
thigh, and my upper lip felt a bit swollen.
The first thing I said to him was, “Do I have all of my teeth?”
He looked at me and said, “Yes.”
“Am I bleeding?”
He looks again, “No, I don't think so.”
“Okay then, I think I'm okay.”
I said while standing up. A muscle bound fellow offered to carry me back inside, though it seemed enticing to take him up on his offer I declined since I truly felt okay. As I was walking back in the two men who had been mostly involved walked close to me
with their hands extended like at any moment I might self destruct, or pass out. In an attempt to lighten the mood I thought I would try some humor.
“Wow,” I started, “I was just hit by a car.
I guess that is one more thing I can add to my Weird Shit List.” I chuckled at my own joke. The off duty paramedic looked at me then at the other man.
“I think she has a concussion.”
I guess he didn't think my joke was as funny as I did.
At this point it is all a bit of a spectacle. (since it happened on the gym's property they called 911) Two firetrucks, three police cars, and about five
firefighters swirling around me. The girl who hit me sat next to me and honestly they should have been taking her pulse, she was in worse shape than I was. She was absolutely mortified.
As I'm answering their
questions two firefighters are trying to get my blood pressure. After a good long while I notice the two of them take a step back and say, “Well, she is upright and talking so she must have a pulse.” (I have a ghost arm, from having so many IVs
inserted in the last few years.)
It also doesn't take long before someone noticed the scar on my head from my brain surgery. “Oh, this is from my brain surgery. I had cancer.” They point to another
section of my head where I have a small bump. “Oh, this is just the titanium plate that I have in my head.” They all politely take an inventory of my horrific resume.
Eventually, I was given a clean
bill of health, so there was no need to go to the ER. I drove myself home with only a few scrapes and bruises.
Though I have walked away from disaster so far the odds are not in my favor. Therefore, I will be
staying out of the ocean, because I would be the person that would be bitten by a shark. I will be staying indoors for all thunderstorms, since I would certainly be struck by lightning. And, I will most certainly be looking both ways before crossing the street.