I have been commuting to the same job for 18 years. Every year the time changes twice, and every year I drive by a nasty accident, and I also am afraid of becoming a statistic. I am always very careful the days following a time change because STUPID people are amoung us!
Years ago when the internet was new, I recall reading a statistic about daylight savings. It involved a statistic for the insurance companies. Their claim rates go up signifigantly when the time changes. There are more accidents follinwg the time change than any other days on the calendar. More heart attacks and strokes occur too, that one hour plays havoc with the mind and body!
Your body clock is a very perfectly tunned/timed device, you throw a wrench into the works by not eating at the same time, not sleeping at the same time, and not having the same amount of daylight at the same time. And there is no cure. You are forced to this schedule.
I think most american’s would agree that daylight savings should go. It was invented to save candle wax, we are far more advanced that using candle wax, c’mon people we can use phones that can light the way in the dark. Or better yet we just flip a switch to have light.
On Monday Novemeber 4th, benefits enrollment opened up at work. And this year there were no paper mailers, this year it is all online. So I stayed late at work to accomplish my next year elections. I was running about 30 minutes late. The 30 minutes late would then place my leaving at the peak of everyone else leaving. I work with over 6000 people, and only 2 out holes, so you can imagine this “realeasing of the hounds” follows you all through the city and is minor traffic congestion where ever you go. That was such a mistake, I regret leaving, If only I’d left at normal time, or stayed just a few more minutes.
Back in July I finally bought a new car. Said new car has 7800 miles on it already, My commute is long, my car is new, and I enjoy every minute I spend, as compared to my other car which was a 2008 and had manual locks and manual roll up windows. I feel very lucky to drive this wonderful new car.
Exited work at about 4 ish. Got caught at the first redlight. The person in fornt of me was not paying attention wich caused me to break harder than I wanted. But all was well.
Got caught at the next light. I was about 7 cars back from the actual light. The light had just changed green, and I just took my foot off the brake to give some gas. Then I heard the crash behind me, and then I felt the tap. Because I was already moving the tap was not as bad as it could have been if I was not moving. I put the car in park and got out too see how bad it was. A three car incident. And the car that caused all of it was BAAAADDDD!
The speed limit on this road is 50. Lots and lots of people like to travel this at 60 or faster. Obvisouly when work gets out, travel is with the flow of traffic. I estimate the woman that caused the accident was traveling around 55 or 60, and apparently had a bad case of distracted driver syndrome. My guess is she was on her phone, more about that later.
So I ran back to the worst car, to see if she was still alive. She was. She could not talk, she could not breath (the wind was knocked out of her). She was bleeding from her eyes. All she could do was open her door, and lean her seat back to try to start breathing right again. She just kept moaning probably because the wind was knocked out of her.
I looked back to see who was behind to make sure my safety was ok. There was someone in the turning lane who came up on the accident (after the fact), and I motioned for her to call 911.
We both observed this 32 year old named Kelly in the crashed up car, that she hit the windshield. No seatbelt. She had purple hair. Did not look like she lives by rules. When she finally was able to speak, she asked if everyone was ok, I said yes we were fine. She appolgized and said she was so sorry she did not mean too. I told her it is ok, that is why it is called an accident. You didn’t mean too. She then asked me again if everyone was ok. At this point I am thinking she is not thinking right and probably is seriously got something bad going on in her brain because it was not 5 seconds ago she had just asked the same question. I answered her question the same.
The lady I asked to call 911 was done with the call and asked the 32 year old if she could call anyone for her. She asked to speak to her mom. She could not remember her moms number. We asked for her phone. We asked where her phone was, she said it was on her lap (yeah she was probably texting at the time of the accident). We got her phone and got through to her mom.
At this point, we are only a block away from the fire dept. They got there first, and then the police rolled in. I gave my statement. The officer collected his data.
There was also another man in between the worst and the best of the crash. His name is Larry and I work with him. That poor guy. He was just back to work his first day after being off for medical leave. He had his appendix out 2 weeks before. He said he side was hurting but refused ambulance service and said he thought he might just drive and get his own assistance. That man tried so hard not to hit me.
The impact from this girl hitting him caused his truck rear end to travel up then sideways. That motion caused his cattle gaurd on his truck to hit my bumper at an angle, not straight on. There looked to be no damage to his front end. But the back end of the pick up was a nasty sight. He said he was pushing hard on his break trying not to hit me. I know he tried HAAAAAARRRRRDDDD! I walked away uninjured. I don’t think I can say the same for the others. The girl was backboarded by the paramedics. They were probably trying to keep her neck and back from moving. The girl could not move. But I witnessed her open her own car door and move her seat back, but perhaps she could not move her legs.
The reason she had the wind knocked out of her was becasue she was not wearing her seat belt. The impact into the truck caused the truck to downforce on the car, which propelled her up. She hit at the top of the windshield. So the airbag deploy was right to the chest.
I travel this road every day, and every day have to be reminded by bleeding eyes that there was a wreck and that someone is very hurt. This bother’s me. I am now faced with an insurance claim on my new car, which will never be the same. I cannot open my rear door anymore as it affected it that much. I cannot use the car for what it was intended, to get groceries. The damage and all the sensors and electronics is a worry for what will crap out now before it is time because it is unknown.
Our insurance company said if they pay for the claim that my rates will go up because I have a no acccident discount. In the past chain reaction wrecks are usually paid by the insurance company of the car who hit you. Again I feel sorry for the guy I work with in the truck as his insurance will be impacted.
What I would really like to do is take the girl to civil court for damages and make her pay my lawyer and get money that way for pain and suffering. If I wanted to see someone bleeding from their eyes, I would have became a doctor. I am not a doctor and never planned on ever seeing this sight. I did not like what I saw, and I have a flash back every time I drive by that spot in my commute.
I am placing those photos at the very bottom of the post so they do not show up in wordpress feed. Scroll to the bottom. My car is the silver one. You will figure out the other two.
My plans for quilting on Monday were canceled. The wreck ate up 45 minutes and the extra 30 minutes I left late, nope, not enough time. No quilting happened this week. The daylight savings crunch has affected my quitling habit too.
I did have a finish this week. My Kaffe Periwinkles is now complete.
I did some quilting it do death areas, QITD. Some doodling, and then a pattern imerged that I really liked and stayed with it.
I am currently binding Terrarium (by Elizabeth Hartman) jelly roll race quilt. That will be my next finish.
I have started pressing my neutrals for the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt called frolic.
I still am getting over my cough, damn thing won’t leave, but yesterday I hardly coughed at all, and today is even better.
I am not making plans for the upcoming week, as there have been too many things flung in my direction lately to try to keep up. I hope to have a post by weeks end with another finish.
Did you catch my apple crisp recipe? If you didn’t you can click here to get it.
Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!
