What I Learned from Being in a Car Accident

If you’ve read my previous blog, you’d know I just got in my first car accident. Thankfully, I and the other driver are both alive and relatively unhurt (yes, I am really sore and bruised)— but had a few things been different, that might not have been the case. As the subsequent events and necessary procedures unfolded, I learned a lot. I learned information both practical and emotional, and I’m here today to share it all with you. As much as I hope no one else ever has to go through this ordeal, it’s important to know a few things in case you ever do.

1. Shock is a very real thing.

Immediately after impact, the policer officer who was called to the scene sped over in his car. He was at the scene in under five minutes, and emergency response was on its way within a few more. The police officer came over to talk to me, and I was physically unable to say more than a word or two at a time. In hindsight, that was super weird behavior of me. I remember calling my friend Drew just telling him I don’t know where I was. I am on the highway, find me. 

Important things to know: Symptoms and severity of shock can vary, but it’s important to note that your behavior may change immediately after a stressful situation. When you’re in shock, your body cannot register pain. Your adrenaline is pumping, so your body is unaware of its actual physical state. This brings me to my next point, one even more important than the first.

2. At the very least, you should definitely get checked out by paramedics.

On impact, my body did a few things. My neck snapped forward, my face was smashed by the airbag, and my knees slammed into the under layer of the dashboard, right under the steering wheel. I was very lucky. My immediate pain was minimal, and I suffered no serious injuries.

When the paramedics arrived on the scene, they asked me what hurt and how bad, and they told me they were there to give me a full body check for more damage. I refused. THAT WAS DUMB. Hear me say this again: when your body is in shock, it often cannot register pain. I was not yet cognitively aware of the force of the accident, so I adamantly refused a check-up. I have the legal right to do so, so the paramedics did not press the issue. But then the Trooper said, “Your hand should get checked out. And umm, maybe that knee.” I looked down and my left knee was LITERALLY DOUBLING.

While I was lucky to have not sustained any serious injuries, the risk is too great. In my opinion, you should always accept medical assistance when it is offered. A shocked mind cannot fully comprehend the damage an accident may have caused. Be aware that your body may know more than your brain does.

3. A few logistical items:

You have the right to deny medical care. If you think you’re fine, you have the right to not be touched or checked. You also, however, have the right to change your mind and ask for medical care once your shock is reduced (while still on the scene).

When driving, you should always have your driver’s license, medical insurance card, and auto insurance card. If you’re in an accident, they will likely ask for the first and third of those items, and they will need all three should you be seriously injured.

If you’re not seriously injured or in immediate danger in your car (like if it’s on fire, you smell smoke, or something is leaking), stay in your car. Passing traffic only serves as a further danger.

Have emergency contacts listed in your phone. Save them as Favorites, or put “ICE” next to their contact name.

4. Until you are physically making a turn, your wheels should be pointing straight ahead.

You make left turns all the time. Thanks to muscle memory, we barely even register the motions as we flip our turn signal, step on the break, and turn our wheel. However, more often than with right turns, left turns are often made after a yield. You yield to oncoming traffic, to check both ways, to wait for a light to change, etc. Because we are so often in a hurry, we speed up this process by sitting, waiting to turn, with our wheels turned to the left, ready to go quickly. DON’T DO THAT.

5. Texting and driving is STUPID, and there is no excuse good enough to justify it.

Don’t text. Don’t check your email. Don’t check your Instagram notifications. Don’t scroll through Twitter. Don’t FaceTime. Don’t read typed-out directions. Don’t pick a Spotify playlist. Don’t search YouTube. Don’t take a selfie. Don’t send a Snap video of yourself singing Elton John.

Most people have done one (if not all) of those things, but none of them is worth the price of your life, or the price of the innocent lives in a car you could hit.

6. You should never be afraid to ask for help.

If you’re anything like I am, it’s hard for you to admit that you can’t do everything alone. That is something I have always struggled with. However, when you’re stuck in the middle of Nowheresville, Highway, without a car but with a searing pain in your body, you’re not given many options. It was hard for me to accept that the only thing I could do was wait. I felt completely helpless, and I was so worried that everyone was mad at me for something that was not my fault.

It’s so important to trust the people who love and care about you. When something scary happens to you, you have to allow people to help you. Relationships are the absolute best part of life, and one of the reasons we get to have them is to help us when we are experiencing times of need. Be grateful that you have people who are willing to help you, then do the same when the situation is reversed.

7. Life is a beautiful gift.

The day I got in a car accident sucked. And frankly, many days since then have sucked too — I’ve been in a lot of pain, I was without a car for a few days, my workout routine is on hold for awhile, I get irrationally nervous while driving on the highway and I have trouble falling asleep because all I see are semis. The emotional and physical toll this has taken on me has been extreme hell, but I just have to continue to smile and pretend things are ok. But it could have been SO. MUCH. WORSE.

I’m so thankful to be sitting here writing this, and I’m so thankful that I have a supportive and helpful family and friends and decent insurance. But most of all, I’m thankful to be alive. I think my car accident was sent as a message: a message telling me to slow down, to relax, and to appreciate my life. Appreciate the people in my life and let go of the people who are not. The ones who want to keep in contact with you will and the ones who don’t, you really don’t need them anyway.

Hug your family, kiss your significant others, and check up on a decent timeframe with friends. We are so fortunate to be living and breathing, experiencing the hot summer days and the rainy afternoons. Stop and smell the flowers, appreciate how good that bite of pizza tastes, and pour the extra pint of beer when you need it. Life’s too short to do anything but cherish it.