Flashback Friday - Car Wreck

So I've been noticing some of my friends doing posts called "Flashback Friday" and I figured I would jump on the bandwagon since I have nothing to blog about these days because I'm so busy with work. This week's Flashback Friday took place in February (I can't remember the actual day) of 2004. I was driving from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham late at night after I got off work at Applebee's. I was scheduled to judge the Alabama State Dance Competition being held at UAB the next day, but I needed to work the night before, so I drove back when I got off work, probably around 11pm.

When on the interstate, I noticed traffic was bumper to bumper on the other side of the interstate. I still have no idea why the traffic was so bad, but some people were driving out of the traffic into the median and turning around to go back towards Birmingham, the same direction I was going. I was in the far left lane and a grey explorer pulled directly in front of me. I guess he/she didn't see me in the lane, but I managed to swerve across three lanes of traffic (going 70+ mph) and hit a ditch. My car rolled up the hill on the right side of the interstate and then back down the hill. All in all, the report says that witnesses said they saw my car flip about 6-8 times. I don't remember any of it. I remember seeing the explorer and changing lanes, but nothing after that. I woke back up as soon as my car stopped flipping and got out of the car on my own. I remember freaking out and a TON of people stopping to make sure I was ok. I kept telling one woman "my mom is going to kill me, I am so dead". I guess I didn't realize how bad the accident was at that time. I just knew my hand was in an extreme amount of pain.

The ambulance got there, it seemed in seconds, and took me to DCH, the hospital in Tuscaloosa. I had seven stitches in my middle finger and the skin on my right hand was pretty much gone, but that was it. I had no concussion, no broken bones, nothing. This incident changed my life forever. I can't really explain the way it went in my head, but God talked to me that day, and it changed everything. Nothing has been the same for me since. I have a closer relationship with God because of this and I essentially rededicated my life to Him after this. Anyone that comes out of that car alive has someone upstairs watching out for them. That's what my doctors kept telling me. Everyone said I was incredibly lucky to be alive, not to mention to walk away with only seven stitches and a bad headache.











I had this cross on my rearview mirror at the time of the accident. It was the only thing in the car (other than me of course) that didn't get thrown out. My CD's were found outside the car on the hill that I flipped on, some of my school books got thrown out of the car as well, but this cross stayed in place. It had two rhinestones missing out of it, but it was still completely intact. This same exact cross is on my rearview mirror today.

The downside of the whole thing was that the person that pulled out in front of me causing the accident got away. Ten cars (and one 18-wheeler!!) stopped to check on me, but unfortunately no one ran after him/her. Since I didn't hit anyone, my insurance claimed the accident my fault and my car insurance sky rocketed for the next couple of years. But I guess that is nothing compared to what could have happened...