“Hit Me”
Recently I had two visions. With both of them, I thought nothing of it and contributed them to either gas, hunger, or boredom. For weeks we had been trying to get tickets to a sold-out event. One ticket would come available, but not two together. While at work, this feeling came over me that said ‘the tickets are yours’. Twenty minutes later I received a call saying two tickets were now available. Coincidence? Maybe.
The other feeling told me that I was going to be in a car accident over the weekend. I had a trip to Indianapolis planned. I knew I wouldn’t cancel my trip, so I just drove extra carefully there. I didn’t use my cell phone. When it started to rain, I kept both hands on the steering wheel and slowed down. It was a relief to make it safely to Indy. On Sunday morning it was raining really hard as we drove to church and I thought maybe the accident would happen then. It didn’t.
So, I started my trek back to Louisville. The rain had stopped. Traffic was fine. As I drove through Jeffersonville I thought about how my mind was probably just playing tricks on me. I was thankful to see the Louisville skyline and thinking about what I needed from the grocery – and then it happened!
I was in the left most lane on 1-65 in Jeffersonville and a white truck swerves into my lane. As the truck hit my suv, I honk my horn and keep both hands on the steering wheel so that I avoid the cement divider immediately to my left. I can remember upon impact thinking “this is the accident you were thinking about”. I slowed down on the left side of the expressway waiting for the white truck to also pull over.
But he didn’t! I watched him drive off. So now I had two options. 1 – stop and call 911. 2- follow the jerk and get his license. Anyone that knows me, knows that I pulled off to catch him!
As I am crossing the bridge into Louisville my entire bumper flies off my suv. Cars begin honking. I keep going because I am almost at a point where I can read the license plate. A BMW pulls up next to me and rolls down his window. I was hoping he’d give me the license plate number. Instead he says “did you know your bumper is back there?” Gee, I wondered what that big piece of metal the same color of my car was flying through the air! I’m pissed that he’s slowing me down and keep driving without saying a thing.
Long story shorter, I did get the license plate number and gave it to the 911 operator. The tag registered to red car so they don’t know if the plates were stolen. So, it’s classified as a hit-and-run accident and all the damages are on me. While I could complain about having to pay the damages, you will not hear one single complaint from me.
As I arrived home, I looked at the courier-journal online. They wrote about four accidents that weekend with fatalities. Yeah Lexie (my car) has some cosmetic damage that needs to be fixed. Yes, I have to pay the deductible. But guess what? I was able to walk away from the accident. I was able to drive my car home. I was able to sleep peacefully that night. The other driver will have to live with the guilt of not being man enough to stop. But I’m gonna keep on, keeping on…..
(but if anyone sees a Carolina blue bumper with a UNC license plate on the front, will you please take off the plate and return it to me!?)
M.Y. April 2010