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It finally happened; I was involved in my first car accident. The dreaded event happened on the highway while I was traveling to meet up with some friends. An almost fun time turned into a day full of trauma.
Basically, whoever was at the front of the lane I was in slammed on their brakes, causing a chain reaction of brake slamming. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to stop in time because of this, resulting in a collision. I wasn’t following them closely as I always try to keep as much space in between cars as possible. It was simply the unexpectedness of it and my reaction time not being good enough. Even though it happened within seconds, time seemed to slow down as my car got closer to theirs. I felt my life flash before my eyes.
After the impact, I had a plethora of thoughts as I tried to collect myself enough to move into the breakdown lane. My first thought was how much stress this would cause my mom. She already has way too much stress on her plate, and now this situation is going to add more. Then I thought about the other driver, hoping they were okay. Lastly, I feared that I would get arrested.
I called my mom, sobbing, and told her what happened. Even though I kept apologizing, her sole focus was making sure I was okay and guiding me through the situation. Police then arrived and escorted myself and the other driver to a parking lot off the highway. We were fortunately right next to an exit, so little driving was needed. I gave them the necessary information and waited while they ran it. I was still having an emotional breakdown while also still being on the phone with my mom.
The other driver seemed okay, and we were both cleared to go home. I stayed in the parking lot for a while longer as I wasn’t yet ready to drive again. Eventually I was able to drive home despite not being okay emotionally.
It was both a scary and annoying life event. I had just started feeling 100% comfortable with driving on the highway. As comfortable as someone can be with all the craziness that can happen. It took a long time to build my confidence behind the wheel, and now it would come to a halt. Fortunately, though, it didn’t do too much damage to my self esteem. I was back on the road within a week or two. However, I haven’t been back on that same route yet, but I’m hoping to overcome that fear soon.
Due to the accident, my mom and I had to say goodbye to our 2006 Toyota Highlander. Initially, the only visible damage appeared to be on the front bumper, but there was also interior damage to the engine. This resulted in the car being considered a total loss. I think the age of the car played a factor, though. If it wasn’t so old, the mechanics may have felt that it would have been worth it to do repairs.
Despite being an older car, it still served us very well. There were things that needed to be fixed every now and then of course. Regardless, it probably could have lasted us several more years. Therefore, it was a hard goodbye. Not only was it my mom’s favorite car, but it was also in the majority of my life.
We used a modern rental car for a couple of weeks, and it was a huge transition. The upgraded technology was annoying to get used to, which I feel old saying lol. The only good thing about it was that it prepared us for the new car we now have, which is the same model, just a different year.
Please remain vigilant on the road at all times! I don’t want any of you to experience what I went through! ~ T
TurningPointCT.org was developed by young people in Connecticut who are in recovery from mental health and substance use issues. We know what it’s like to feel alone, stressed, worried, sad, and angry. We’ve lived through the ups and downs of self-harm, drugs and alcohol, and the struggle to find help.
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