Crash

  We usually take safety for granted. Many people don't realise the dangers when driving from one place to another. Driving has become a routine. People can't predict the dangers they face when driving, or even the tragic and disastrous moment when something goes wrong. I used to read in the newspaper about people getting in car accidents all the time but I never thought it could happen to me. February 25th 2012 is the date that I will never forget, that day changed my whole life. 

  I remember it as if it happened yesterday. The maddening buzz of my alarm clock woke me up from my deep sleep. It was the start of yet another routine morning, or so I thought. I lazily climbed out of the bed to the shower and finished getting myself ready as fast as possible, but all of this still took a little longer than usual which was not a surprise at all, I was running late to work again! I rushed out and hopped into the interior of my sleek, silver metallic Honda CR-V and made my way to the office which usually took another half and hour, despite the terrible traffic. 

  Because of my belated departure, I went fast, too fast. I stepped on the accelerator pedal as the speedometer increased by 70 mph, 90 mph, 120 mph, faster than the speed limit. All of a sudden, I heard a loud bang. The world went on spinning. My whole life flashed before my eyes. It was the longest seven seconds of my life. Without any thought, purely by instinct, I pulled the wheel of the car to the left and back to the right, trying my best to take control of it. As if the car was alive, it swerved back and forth and spun for three-hundred and sixty degree non-stop. Each time, I could feel the car scratching the earth with its side and the screeching sound of grinding metal filled my head. My heart was beating rapidly and my mind felt as if it was frozen. My whole body jolted with the sporadic movements of the car. With my eyes sealed tight, I could feel my body float off the seat against gravity. 

  As I opened my eyes, disappointment, disbelief, confusion, and fear overwhelmed me. I lay on my side, sandwiched between the cold, hard ground and the hot, slick metal of the car. The sick rush of nervousness flowed through my body. Then, something else took over it, I could feel the weight of the car pressed down on the lower half of my body with monstrous force. My lungs felt pinched shut and air would neither enter nor escape them. I opened my mouth to shout for help but air failed to escape my lips. Gasping like a fish out of water, I lied helplessly until someone would help.

  The sound of sirens filled the air, I saw several people surrounding me, their pale white faces reflected each other's fears and concerns. All I could think of at that moment was hope, there was hope. I felt the need to stay alive. Tears of relief filled my eyes. Suddenly, the car on top of me jiggled. I could feel the weight of the car lift slowly off me. An intense pain struck my lower half like a knife stabbed through my stomach. The pain was excruciating but at the same time I felt paralyzed. "Crawl out of there!" Someone yelled at me. I tried to push against the ground with all my strength but failed. 

  As I struggled to move, I felt strong arms glide around my shoulders and under my armpits. They dragged me out and saved me. Everything happened so fast. Every minute lying on that ground, however, felt like a life time. The paramedics carried me on a stretcher as they asked me a number of questions to keep me conscious. We finally made it into the ambulance and made our way to the hospital. I went under surgery, stayed in the hospital for a week and on a wheelchair for almost two months, unable to go to work until a few months later. 

  I have now realised how precious life really is and that it can be taken away from you in a blink of an eye. One slight mishap can result in extreme injury or even death. What happened that day changed the way I drive, it taught me some valuable lessons and came to a conclusion that life is too short to take things for granted.