My passion for cars has spanned for over 47 years! I’ve seen many different vehicles, I’ve had the opportunity to drive quite a few options and I’ve had some great experiences behind the wheel that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Yet, there have been several circumstances that have caused me to pause or even question whether or not I should even get back on the road again…
Let me elaborate: To date, I have been involved in over 10 vehicular accidents, all of which I didn’t cause or initiate. For the sake of not scaring my readers I won’t speak on every one of them but I definitely will share my Top 7.
My first accident was when I was only 7 years old. My mom was driving the ’83 Toyota Tercel to a meeting one afternoon and all I could remember was when she went through a 4-way intersection, another car hit the side of us so hard that it sent us into a tailspin where the Tercel whipped around at least one full revolution before stopping. I was so petrified that when my mom, and other bystanders who came to our aid, tried to talk to me to see if I was ok. I couldn’t say a word. I remember one lady saying I was in shock right now and couldn’t speak. Back then, it wasn’t a requirement to get checked out if there wasn’t an indication of a major injury. All I remember was I couldn’t sleep well that night and it took me a few days to feel better.
The next major accident took place after I graduated from college. My father gifted me his Seattle Silver 1992 Honda Accord EX. Beautiful outside shimmering color with a red wine interior. I had just completed some work on it and installed my very own Alpine CD deck not more than 3 days before the accident. I came around an embankment on the Blue Ridge Parkway 20 miles outside of Roanoke, Virginia when a wet patch of road that sent me out of control and down large hillside barrel-rolling for a good 100 yards. The best description I can give you is like being inside of a dryer unit seeing your clothes spinning around. I was BLESSED to be able to walk away from that one without any broken bones.
In September 2001, I bought/financed my very first car on my own. A beautiful 1998 Forest Green Acura TL 2.5. It had tan leather interior, sun roof, CD changer, the works. I had recently installed a remote start system that I ordered from my part-time job at Circuit City. At the time, I was working in Downtown Roanoke at Trigon (Now Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield) as a Financial Data Analysis. I drove up from my building when out the corner of my eye, I spotted a large Ford F-150 speeding through the intersection. I slammed my brakes and braced for impact when the driver went right through my front end, smashing my car’s front end and literally carrying the front bumper, grille and radiator with him. He had almost run over several pedestrians crossing the street as well. All I remember was I looked up at the light in the intersection because I was certain I didn’t run a red light and I could hear this guy on the side walk yell at me saying, “Yeah buddy, you definitely had the green!” All I could do was shake my head and I looked at him said, “Thank God.” From the police report I got, the guy driving the truck was charged with reckless driving and reckless endangerment doing over 55 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone. Another opportunity to be extremely thankful and blessed.
In October 2003, after recently moving to Richmond, VA. I was coming from the East End of Richmond right off of Interstate 64 East one night, just sitting at a red light. All of a sudden, I look in the rearview mirror and see lights barring down on my “Six” without braking; The impact was immediate, jarring and shocking all at once! According to the police, the driver looked away reaching for something in her seat and didn’t even notice the red light or me sitting there. Thankfully, no broken bones but man was I sore as hell the next day.
Late September of 2007, I was driving in to work in a 1991 Honda Accord LX was and about to get on the highway from my house. On my right side (or 3 o’clock), I was passing a gas station where there was a line of cars in the right as I was driving by in the left lane. Suddenly, a brown sedan appeared out of an opening in the right line as I drove by and literally met me in a full T-Bone collision; It happened so fast I couldn’t even brake. This was my most serious accident as I was cut out of my car and put into an ambulance and rushed to VCU medical. I was in Triage for literally several hours because they thought I had broken my neck and also suffered a severe chest contusion with broken ribs. Thankfully, and yes, I say again thankfully, nothing was broken. My neck was severely sprained and I had to wear a brace for several months. When I was well enough, I went to collect my things out of my car. I was mortified to see my steering wheel all mangled and mis-shaped. I talked with EMT techs who helped me after that. They said that judging from the impact, I hit the steering with such force it caused the steering wheel to look jacked up.
October of 2017, within the span of one week, I was involved in two accidents. The first was with my 2001 Audi A4 Quattro. That was a fun vehicle. I received it as a gift from one of the dealerships I worked at in Chester VA. Quick, plenty of acceleration and torque, Black exterior with a light tan interior. I was driving down to work on 95 South just a half a mile from the 64 -East exit, when I noticed two young guys driving erratically on my right side. They quickly jumped in my lane and slammed their brakes. I plowed right into the back of one of them in their Tacoma while the other sped away. When the officer came, I was so angry that I couldn’t even think straight. I was given a ticket for following too closely but when I went to court to contest the citation, the judge through it out and dismissed the case. No comfort or reconciliation for me as my Audi was totaled and I was not able to recoup the loss. The next week, I was driving my family vehicle, a 2003 Honda Pilot EX-L Dark Gray with Gray Leather interior. I got ran off the road and into another car driving to my evening part-time job and almost went over a bridge with another person smashed into me. My manager was kind enough to pick me up and get me home safely but we were never able to track down the person who ran us off the road. That night I called my mother and asked her if I could drive her car around the block. My mental state at that time was in total lockdown and I was fearing that I would never get behind the wheel of another car in my life. But something made go through with driving and getting that out of my system. To this day, I’m so glad that I did that because I really didn’t think I would even try to drive again…
Even though I had no involvement nor initiated any of these accidents, every experience taught me something very valuable; no matter what obstacle that comes in front of you, if you want something bad enough, you will push through and continue in spite of any circumstance. Life never has a simple path, and don’t let anyone fool you to believe otherwise. We all have situations that question whether or not we should continue, but if that ambition is in you and you truly, truly are passionate about it and desire it beyond anything else, then never ever quit. One day, it will be worth your while and you can definitely say you will never have any regrets about pursuing what God put in you… Never, ever quit Car Guy and Gals… Cheers!!
Car Guy’s Car Tip
My hope is that none of you ever experience what I’ve been through, but if you are ever involved in an accident, regardless of the severity, you should always get checked out/medically cleared. I can’t tell you how many people I’ve known who were involved in accidents, much less than mine, that have dealt with major health concerns sometime after their accidents.
Also, Car Guys and Gals, Trauma is a very real thing. It’s very important that you talk with someone if you experience any kind of mental or emotional trauma due to vehicular accidents. Being tough doesn’t mean you don’t get scared or have fear, it just means you learn how to deal with it and work through those thoughts and feelings that trouble you. Take it from me, it’s cool to share what bothers you so you can be supportive of yourself and others…