It all happened within 10 seconds
As i felt the back end of the van swing subtlety to the left it was as if my mind went a million miles an hour. I thought of the past hour of driving and how it was cold, but there was no rain, no snow, no ice but I was sure we were no longer in control and the black ice had taken hold. I thought of how I naively thought of putting on my seat belt and decided against it believing I was somewhat invincible. I drive a 1985 vanagon, it forces you to drive slow, nothing could happen... A second later the back end of the van swings out the other direction this time but with more force. I hear the words come out of my mouth just as they do every time at the beginning of something going terribly wrong in a car.
“It’s okay, don’t worry. Everything will be okay. Were okay” I am reassuring the driver as I hear the panic in her voice and as repeats “oh no, oh no, oh no”
7 seconds.. the car is fish tailing out of control and then suddenly the back swings hard right and it sends my top heavy rectangular 31 year old car 90 degrees and into oncoming traffic.
I realize in that moment, that car is going to hit us, that car is going to t bone us at 50 mph. Not only into the car i’m in but into me. I brace myself knowing I don’t have my seat belt on, that I just spent the last 22 months recovering from a brain injury, and I am about to hit my head.
I hold my breath, i see the flash of the headlights, silence, and then it explodes into us. My body slams against the side door, my head crashes against the window.
It was so icy the impact propels us 25 feet away from the car that hit us. We hit the guard rail but I don’t remember. I feel as though I smacked my head and then we were stopped. Realizing now that I must of blacked out for a couple seconds. I go for the door handle because I feel this need to escape. I push but the door does not swing open. I hear Jasmine say “your head, are you okay?” I hear her but choose not to respond. I start to roll down the window and I find myself jumping out like something else is going to happen. I’m scared, I feel the adrenaline pumping through me. I dial 911. I know we’re 30 minutes away from anything. I’m seeing orbs in my vision. It’s unclear yet looks like i’m looking through shattered glass. I start to feel the stream of blood pour down my face.
911, whats your emergency? I’v been in an accident, I’m bleeding. I hit my head and it’s bleeding. I have a history of a brain injury, please help me.
