The Accident

Julie, fellow blogger, broke her wrist this summer and when she got the her cast off I had mentioned I broke both my wrists. She asked me how. Let's travel back in time...February 1995. (there is a lesson here kids, and I am putting some pictures** that are not bad but are still kind of gross to get the point across.)

A was an over the road truck driver, and I worked not quite but almost full time retail. I was ready for some time off in the after Christmas season. We made plans for me to go over the road with him. We went all over from the eastern seaboard to Texas, the last run we were on was through Canada/Pennsylvania/Michigan and then back to the hub. I had so much fun, but by the time we got back we were both exhausted...we debated driving the hour and half to my parents or the 5/6 hours home for the weekend. He had a check waiting for us so we decided to go home, February 10, 1995. At the halfway point he was sleeping and I was so exhausted that I decided to stop and try to take a nap. Three hours later the sun rose, and I woke up. I was so tired, but uncomfortable with staying where we were any longer. I tried to wake A up, but to no avail. I took a deep breath and decided that I could do it, no worries. I was 19, nothing could stop me! Except that damn cop car that did a U-turn right there...darn it. Maybe I shouldn't have been playing around, speeding, being an all around dumb ass driver. I didn't even talk myself out of that ticket! I started driving again, I was so shaky, nervous...I didn't want to drive anymore darn it I just wanted to be home!!!! I hated tickets then, now I do my best to talk myself out of them...but I digress. We got to the next big town and stopped for gas. A had woken up and said he would take over driving. He knew the area better than I did anyway. I put my seat back and covered up. After awhile I remember waking up because we stopped at this church because apparently you can't pass it without ringing the bell or bad luck...BWEE! this is the last of my memories of that day, the rest of this is from medical reports and second hand information - OH until the police report (funny stuff actually).

The car was speeding down a back country road, up the other road the girl that was going to hit us or we hit knew we were not going to stop (why didn't you stop idiot???)...our car ran a stop sign and the oncoming van hit passenger side once starting the car to spin and then hit it again on the rear end causing it to start flipping. So, the car was spinning and flipping...as it did the passenger door flew open and both A and I exited out the car, ok maybe we were ejected much like the car was a little sick and tired of the abuse of being driven in such an undignified manner, via the passenger side door. The car traveled approximately another 50 feet into a corn field. I was found more than 250 feet from the car...I guess I did my best superman impression and flew between 200-300 feet depending on the ejection point.



I woke up in the hospital February 13, 1995...groggy but alive, a miracle according to the doctors - not just because of my injuries. My parents had been there; my father in all of his need to help apparently overdosed me with my Demerol pump. I was unconscious so the hospital/doctor/nurse whatever just had it on a steady drip, but the "doorbell" was attached for when I woke up and they could change the settings. My father decided every time I moaned I was in pain so he pushed the "doorbell" and a flow of Demerol went into me until from what they say I started vomiting a la The Exorcist. Which was bad, because they did not have my shoulder strapped down so I got a second round of them popping that bad boy into place....I have no recollection of that so in my eyes more power to my daddy!!!

My injuries consisted of hairline fracture in my skull, awesome black-eye that I had for like 2 months, various cuts (those plastic surgeons are good you can almost not tell), left elbow dislocated, left wrist broken, right shoulder dislocated, right wrist broken, both hands crushed, my rings were embedded into my fingers, right pinkie finger compound fracture (the only finger that got special attention), various other cuts and bruises on my body, some internal bleeding but no big deal.

A few days after I woke up they were finally able to clean me up:

that's not a smile
the nurses in the hospital were great from what I remember

The glass and weeds they took out of my hair along with bits of the car were crazy! My sister stayed to help take care of me, do my hair and other necessities that I was unable to do (and frankly now I have no shame because I have been pretty darn low). My first opportunity to get out of that bed was about a week or so after the accident. This was the first time my shoulder was taped...such a happy face:

Wasn't I ever so pretty at 19???

I was out of the hospital about a week and a half when the police knocked at our door. I still looked like the above picture without the bandage on my face...I was so messed up on pain meds. The police were trying to arrest me and I asked them to wait because I needed to nap, laid down on the couch and almost feel asleep. The officer in his infinite wisdom told me to place my hands behind my back (what?), which is when A stepped in and said she can't. I stepped up to say I can if I try, but these idiots are going to have a talk with the doctor and will be paying the bill. We got to the police station, both A and I were booked for falsely reporting an accident. They tried to take my fingerprints, I'd like to know how that worked out for them but never got an answer...and took our statements. A was then released because the officer admitted he never took a statement from him. They were talking to me and I looked at this officer and I told him flat out....wait you have to picture me exactly like I was above, hopped up on high power medication, with my head on the table..."dude, are you on some sort of crack? I have never seen you before in my life. but whatever you say, as long as it gets me back in bed I am going to go with." This is what the officer went with, our lawyers fought it and pretty much told the judge that if the cops would have investigated the accident instead of looking and saying 'oh she got a ticket this morning she was driving' they would know exactly what happened and would be able to tell all of us. They went on to make A and I stand in front of the judge and said it doesn't take an ace investigator to see if the seat was back he was driving if it was forward she was. The judge pretty much sided with us; A took the tickets and blame for the accident though because I had quite enough tickets on my record thank you very much and he had none. I left the courtroom with a slap on the cast......

But, lessons were learned! I never ever drive tired anymore, because there is a very real possibility that I was driving that car. I wear my seat-belt even in the passenger seat, I used to only wear it when I was driving. Lastly, I never let my father close to any of my medications when I don't feel good, his hearts in the right place but that man'll kill me.


**Why were pictures taken, remembrance of the day I was almost lost to people that loved me. Reminders never to wait until it's too late to say how you feel