♥ Reiko's Car Accident on 3.4.2010 ♥

[Currently listening to "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood, the perfect song for the theme of this entry.]

Hello, everyone - I know it has been a while since my last entry but... You guys have absolutely no idea how relieved and happy I am to be alive...

I want to tell you guys about my car accident on Thursday night; what I'll do is copy and paste the note that I tagged a lot of my friends in on Facebook so that everyone can read it. Not only do I want my friends to know about this but also for others who are also reading my blog to know what happened - I care for you all to be safe and not end up like me or the other driver who hit me; you'll see in just a bit.

I'll also post a public link from my Facebook account so that you all can view the pictures of my baby car, Rinoa. The police, my family and I have concluded that from the condition my car is in, it's totalled beyond repair. I miss her so much... I'll never find another car just like her.

Without further ado, here is the copy of my written report on the accident from my Facebook:

Hi everyone! As promised, here is a detailed report of what happened on Thursday night (the scariest moment of my life!).

Some of my co-workers already know that I was released from work very early that day, and since I didn’t have any plans, I decided to go shopping for a little bit but then came back to work to go to the gym and work out. (I try to go there a few times a week for some exercise after work. ) After working out for a couple of hours, I decided to head home.

Between 8:30 and 8:45 was when the accident occurred:

I was driving on the left lane on Shore Drive toward the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel exit; as I approached Greenwell Road, I saw a Grand Marquis in the opposite direction in the left turn lane. As I approached the intersection, I saw the Grand Marquis suddenly move forward, and before I knew it… I had been hit. The Grand Marquis had been spun around toward the middle of the intersection; my Rav4 moved forward and came to a complete stop further down the street (on Shore Drive, in front of the old gas station lot). When I realized that my car had stopped, I looked all around me; I could smell burning rubber, I saw dust everywhere, and I had also noticed that my airbag deployed (thank goodness!).

My mind was racing, and the first thing I thought was that I just had to get out of my car. I immediately grabbed my cell phone, removed my seatbelt and was able to step out of my car with little to no difficulty. It didn’t occur to me when I looked around that my eye glasses were missing; though I couldn’t see very well, I could already tell that the broken glass and scrap metal scattered across the street was from my car. I just kept thinking, “…I can’t believe I just got hit…” Before I knew it, many people had gotten out of their cars to assist me and the other driver to make sure that we were okay before the police and the paramedics arrived; I never thought there were that many people who were kind enough to care and stop to help! As they asked me questions, I had to interrupt them while I called my Dad; he called my mom, who was at work at the same place where I was.

While waiting for my mom to arrive at the scene, the police and paramedics started asking me questions and checked my vitals. I didn’t notice any injuries at the time since my body was shaking terribly and my heart was racing; later on I realized that there was a taste of blood in my mouth, and learned that I had bit my lip and tongue when the airbag deployed. My mom found me and… words could not express how happy I was to see her face since my dad was not able to arrive (he couldn’t leave my brothers alone by themselves). After letting her and the police know what happened, I couldn’t help but to keep asking how the other driver was doing. I learned later on that the female driver was okay, but had injured her ankle due to the impact of the crash. As for my glasses, a male police officer found them on the other side of the street! My guess is that the airbag must have made them fly off from my face when I opened the door of my car.

What surprised me later on was that she was driving while under the influence of alcohol; before getting behind the wheel, she was coming out of a bar and had herself at least 4 drinks. (The police said that you can tell from a good distance that she was drunk). She had refused to take the breath test and was taken under custody. What happened to her after that, I don’t know… This is all I know about her at the moment.

At the time, I didn’t have a camera on me so that I could take pictures of my car, but when I saw one of my co-workers, Donnell, I was very happy to see him. Apparently when my mom rushed from work to see me, she ran into him and mentioned that I was in an accident. Thankfully, he had a camera on him and took pictures of my car before it was towed away. (I’m still waiting for those pictures though!)

My mom and I decided that it was best for us to get me checked at a hospital. It was a very long wait for the results from tests and x-rays, but as I waited, I noticed pain on my upper neck, shoulders and part of my back; the pain that I had in my mouth (my lip and tongue) had increased and my mom and I saw that I had a scrape and bruise on my left arm. Thankfully I had no fractures or any life-threatening injuries.

My family and I are monitoring my injuries as well as taking care of legal works for my car and the insurance companies; we are working to find a lawyer at this point. In the past couple of days, I have noticed some bruises that developed on my chest, neck, arms and both sides of my hips. I am taking some medications and lots of rest; I won’t be coming back to work until Tuesday morning.

That night, I learned to accept that my car is gone. I am sad that I lost my car that I barely had for 2 years, but better to have my car gone than my life or the other woman’s. You can replace cars and other things but… you can’t replace a lost life. I have also forgiven the woman for what she had done, but I’m still very disappointed that she decided to make an irresponsible act of driving while she was drunk. I hope she learned her lesson and pray that it doesn’t happen again.

As I have said in my response video last night, please please PLEASE don’t get behind the wheel when you are drunk. The next time you know that you are going to have alcoholic beverages, make sure you have a friend to be a designated driver, or call a cab (or stay the night at your friend’s house). Whatever you do, never go drinking alone and drive drunk. You can never tell what could happen: You could end up like me, the other driver… or worse. I’m telling this to you guys because I love and care enough for you guys to make the right decision and take care of yourselves!

I'll be posting the pictures of my car shortly; prepare to brace yourselves because... It's bad. Looking at these pictures were very painful for me, but I want to share these with you guys and girls so that the same thing does not happen to you. I'm just so relieved and happy to be alive...

Again, thank you for your kind messages, etc. I love you all more than you realize! I’ll be better soon, don’t worry. And to my awesome co-workers, I’ll be back soon… headstrong! :D

Here's a public link to my photo album of Rinoa, my poor baby car, on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2017374&id=65300438&l=b71e981c37 I miss her so much... :(

But that is all for now; I'll update when I can. I need to get as much rest as I can so I can heal quickly! Until next time, be well, be SAFE, and keep smiling. I know I am - there are just so many reasons to and it's the best medicine!

Much love,
~Reiko xoxo