If you missed part I, you can catch up on it
here.
Forgive me for splitting the story up like this, but it took me so long to write the first part that it was my bedtime by the time I finished! And nobody wants me to stay up past my bedtime.
But, enough. On to part II.
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"Are you okay?" A muffled voice called out from behind me.
"Yes," I said through my hands.
Then, a knock to my right. "Are you okay?" A face was peering in at me through the passenger-side window. He hadn't heard me.
"Yes," I called, a little louder.
The face disappeared and, after the sound of rustling in the grass, it re-appeared to my left, at my window. "ARE - YOU - OKAY?"
"YES!"
"CAN - YOU - OPEN - THE - DOOR?"
I did open my door, to an older man who was so helpful. He stuck his body in through the door so that, when I unbuckled my seat belt, I would land on him instead of crashing down to the roof of the car (I know it's trippy to think backwards that way -- falling onto the roof). Then, he helped me roll out of the car door -- can I just say, I had to trust him on this one, because I was scared there would be broken glass all over the place, but he told me to roll out, so I did. And I didn't get any shards of glass in my side!
I stood up on the grass with the help of what seemed like dozens of hands. In reality, it was just the older man, a lady who appeared to be his wife, and a younger man who explained that he was a nurse. Together, they escorted me to their car, where I sat until medics and police arrived.
It wasn't until then, sitting, shivering, waiting, thoughts racing, that I thought about the other vehicle -- the one I had hit. Was the driver okay? Was the car okay? Were they angry with me?
I ended up remaining at the scene of the accident for about an hour and a half. I was checked out by 3 different medics, and found to be remarkably unscathed. Then, a police officer took over, a state trooper. He administered a sobriety test, took down all my information, and then took me to his car, where I could use his phone to call my dad and wait for him to pick me up (in the course of the accident, I had misplaced my phone and my glasses, so I was grateful for this police officer's guidance -- literally -- and phone). I was so blessed when I entered the police car to hear Positive Life Radio playing from his speakers -- only, maybe you can relate -- the songs provided the perfect atmosphere for me to sit and cry in.
I never did see the lady from the other car, or her car...or my car, for that matter. I think we walked past the lady on our way to the police car, but, because of the dark and my misplaced glasses, all I saw was a blur and a bunch of people crowded around a stretcher. I assumed the lady was on the stretcher, which really scared me.
After the state trooper went to check on her, I asked how she was.
"Well, when I first talked with her, she said she didn't need any medical attention. But after a while, you know, the adrenaline wears off, and she noticed some neck pain. So they're taking her to the hospital just to be safe."
I just nodded.
What a horrible feeling, to know you have caused someone else pain.
When my dad came for me, and we sat in his car, and the tow truck was driving away with my totaled 2002 Saturn, the state trooper approached my window.
"This is the bad part of my job." He proceeded to issue me a citation. Failure to stop at a red light, and all that.
"But keep your head up," he said, when he was finished. "It happens."
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To be continued (just once more - promise).
