Grrrr.....Car Accident

Yesterday I was in a car accident. I was broadsided on the passenger side of my car when a car ran a stop sign and hit me. Luckily everyone was okay, even Marley. :) I have some bruises, whiplash, and am stiff and sore. Camden has some bruises on his chest and hip, and tongue lacerations (he bit his tongue). Other than that we are fine. We were checked out on the scene by the Paramedics and released at the scene. I did follow up today and went to the doctor to make sure that all of our t's were crossed and i's dotted.

Camden started screaming immediately on impact. Marley flew into me and then ran into the back seat and hopped into the back window, not to emerge for a long time. I immediately ran to the back seat to make sure that Camden was okay. I saw blood in his mouth and pulled him out of his car seat to make sure that he was okay. (I guess I was technically supposed to not move him at all until the paramedics got there, but who thinks straight when they've just been in an accident?) He continued to scream and scream, particularly when all of the strangers gathered around with cell phones connected to 911, more so when the loud fire truck came and then even harder when he was taken into the back of the ambulance to get checked out by the EMT's.

He finally calmed down after about 20-30 minutes. When all was said and done and we were allowed to leave, Camden freaked out and started screaming again when we tried to put him back in his seat. He did NOT want to get back into the car; I can't blame him, neither did I.

My car is pretty messed up. The other car T'boned us and took out both doors on the passenger side. I can't open either door and there is a nice wind that comes through where the frame is bent outwards. I will meet with an insurance claim person tomorrow who is finally coming to look at the car and get the ball rolling on getting us helped out with that. We will have to get a new car seat now and I'm sure a rental car will be in order for several days.

It's amazing what goes through your head when something like that happens. It was just a split second, but I clearly remember seeing the face of the other driver, I remember Marley flying, and I remember seeing Camden's car seat bounce around. I don't know how I saw all of that when it all happened in the same second. What I don't remember is hitting my knee very hard on the steering column, what I said to the guy that hit me when we first got out of our cars, or even thinking that I should check on the dog (I never did until after Aaron arrived).

I remember being furious and scared to death all at the same time. Furious that someone would put my baby in jeopardy like that, and scared that I didn't know if he was alright. I couldn't stop shaking for probably at least an hour, and had a really hard time communicating. Once we were home and safe, I sat down in the chair and cried. Funny that I didn't cry when I didn't know if we were safe. Adrenaline is a funny thing.

I'm extra mad at myself for not seeing the guy coming in time for me to avoid the accident. Isn't that what defensive driving is supposed to be about? My dad is 75 and has never been in an accident, ever. He is good at defensive driving. I guess I have a lot to learn.

I am mad that my car is only worth $3000. I can imagine that the insurance company will want to just total the car, I'm sure that 2 new doors will cost far more than $3000. Grrrrrrr!! I know that my car wasn't worth much, but it was in excellent condition and has sooooooooo much life left in it. We planned on driving that thing into the ground. Now what? There's no way that we will find as good of a car for $3000. No way at all. I think that we will just have to get the damage repaired and stick with the original plan of running it into the ground.

I am also mad that I didn't think clearly enough at the scene of the accident. All the things that I know I should do, I didn't do them. I didn't take a picture of the accident. I don't know why, I had my phone with me that has a camera on it. I didn't avoid the accident. I didn't keep Camden in a stable position until the EMT's arrived (Thanks goodness he wasn't seriously hurt). There are so many things that you think you know and that you think you will do, but there is a certain shock and confusion that sets in, and all you think about is the safety of your child and yourself, and there is no amount of clear thinking in the world that can enter the brain when you are in that frame of mind.

I am very grateful that we weren't hit by an SUV, we would have been hurt a lot more seriously. (I hate SUVs for that very reason. They are way to dangerous to other cars on the road. Sure, the person behind the wheel of an SUV may be safer, but you'll probably kill someone in a car like mine. Did you know that the seriousness of accidents has increased since the number of SUVs on the road has increased? They are only safer for the person in them, and are a death sentence to tiny cars who get hit by them. No offense if you drive one, but this is my journal so you will occasionally be subjected to my opinion!) I am grateful that the airbags did not deploy, as I probably would have been hurt a little worse, and Marley certainly would have. I am grateful that we walked away and no one was seriously hurt. I am grateful that my car didn't need towing and I could drive it home (even with the extra wind and daylight seeping through!) I am grateful to the witnesses who stopped, called 911, stayed and gave statements, and made sure that we were okay. I am grateful to my husband for leaving work on such a busy day and coming to take care of us for a couple of hours before returning to work. I am grateful for all of the care and concern from all of my family and friends.

I will post pictures of the car tomorrow. It's so late, I have to go to bed!