Not a Statistic at Easter

Not sure where to start but to begin with  - I’m ok, but our lovely little car was written off after an argument with a semi trailer. Any accident involving a double trailered semi full of gravel and rocks and you walk away from…. is a good one.

So, I'm not a statistic over Easter... feeling pretty blessed and happy to be able to write this now.

Last Thursday - just before Easter - I’d packed our car up ready for a camping long weekend and set off to pick Age up from work. Morgan and Lilly had spent the day at vacation care so that I could go and watch a movie by myself, shop and pack in quiet calm.

I took the ICB and always get muddled with the exit to take which is the best to get to Age.  I missed the right one, but having done that a number of times, knew I had a road on the left just round the corner I could double back on and get back to where I needed to be.

What I had failed to realise as I came out of the tunnel, was that although I was on the inside lane and had a unbroken single white line beside me, there was in fact another lane running from the top of the tunnel beside the one I was emerging from and that it would merge further up into mine.  With the white line beside me - I thought it was the edge of the road - not a barrier or whatever the road designers thought it would be.  I put my indicators on and flicked across to drive into the road.

What happened next happened just like the movies - really. You know the lilting music as everything goes in slow motion and stuff starts to smash and crunch?

A huge Kenworth truck barrelled down the lane - minding his own business, when some mad woman drove right in front of him. There was nowhere for him to go but straight into the side of my car; pushing me across the traffic, up the island, through a post and near tipped me over.

He rushed out thinking he’d killed me, amazed that the car hadn’t been tumbled over onto the roof.

Its difficult to fully describe it, but I felt really safe; as if arms had pulled me in while I got pushed and smashed through posts and up the curb. I had no injuries. I stumbled out of the car and began apologising to him. I got my licence and we exchanged details.  It wasn’t till I turned around and saw the state of the car that I realised how bad it could have been.  None of the doors, bar mine, would open. One side of the car had been ripped open like a can. The car was twisted and bits of it lay across the lanes of the road.

Our accident had stopped the traffic on Kingsford Smith Drive at peak hour, so with some help we got the car off the island and into the side street I’d originally been aiming for.

It wasn’t till I rang Adrian that I began to shake. My body failed me as I tried to tell him I was ok but needed him to get in a cab and get me.  I remember being so calm in my head and being so angry at myself as my face refused to form words. Poor Age. He got enough out of me to find me - it was, as I said, only 5 mins from his work.

So, excitement over, I had three police patrol cars and an ambo in attendance - but I was fine so they all went away eventually.

We had to unpack all the camping stuff and whiel we waited for a knight in shining armour (Thanks Max) to rescue us, it looked like we were some homeless bums taking in the sights of the river.

The thing that tells me I was in total shock was that I only took one photo - one of the truck I didn’t see.  I still can’t believe I didn’t see it.  I’ve heard from my uncles and brothers who are truck drivers - how people say they didn’t see them.. and until now, I never believed them.  How can you NOT see something as big as this bearing down on you?

The days seems fresher now. I try not to think I am living on borrowed time. Perhaps what scares me is to think I was saved for a bigger purpose… but what that is, has not yet been revealed.

Here is the photo of the truck pulled into the side street. Big.. isn't it?