Anti-Accident Prone

I have always believed that I am anti-accident prone. I don't usually have accidents. On the very rare occasions when I do, I escape with less damage than most other people in similar situations.

Imagine being the driver of that wreck you see in the picture, and imagine coming out of it literally unscathed except for a couple of very tiny cuts on the face. Imagine fishing out small pieces of glass from the inner corner of your eyes, next morning, after two showers, and yet there being no damage to the eyes whatsoever!

We were driving to the Grand Canyon, on the night of March 31st, 2007. About 30 miles out of Flagstaff on State Route 180 West, at 10:15 PM, we collided with an elk. It was a big deer, taller than my car. It was half in my lane when I noticed it. It was walking onto the road from the dark woods. It was too late to brake and stop. So, I swung left trying to avoid it. The poor animal decided to charge straight ahead, intending to get across the road before I reached it. It never had a chance. It hit the right side of the front of my car, swung over the hood and crashed into my windshield. It's head and torso hitting my side (driver's side) of the windshield, with enough impact to dent the top of my car roof! Thankfully, the elk seemed to be a female with no antlers. If it had antlers, they would have come straight through my windshield and gone through my head killing me at once!

I was too much in a shock to stop immediately after the impact. I drove forward about 50 meters or so, and then pulled over to the side. I asked my roommate, who was in the passenger seat, if she was okay. She was literally untouched. She appeared to be shocked and scared, but otherwise physically quite fine.

There was no cell phone signal where we had the accident. So, we could not call for help. We decided to drive back to Flagstaff. We turned the car around, expecting to see the dead elk on the road. But it was nowhere to be seen. It had probably moved off into the woods... probably to die a painful death. I feel great sorrow for it.

We drove for 45 minutes or more, in under 40 F, sometimes under 35 F temperature. We got a motel room in Flagstaff, called my insurance, who recorded a claim over the phone and went to sleep. The insurance person who took my claim said I don't have to notify the police as nobody was injured... except for the elk and my car.

If only it had been a rental car, instead of my own... I could have chalked all this off as an adventure in the past and moved on with life. But now, I have to deal with a wrecked car. The car is sitting in the collision center right now, awaiting inspection by the insurance people. I will keep this blog updated on what happens next.

Meanwhile, I feel very lucky and thankful to be alive and well. I realize how fragile and unpredictable life is. Makes me think that there is no time to be wasted in not doing what my heart wants to do.