I totaled my car and broke my neck
Posted: Sun Apr 08, 2007 4:20 pm
On Friday night I went to see Grindhouse with my friends. (SEE IT IT IS AWESOME) At about 11:30 I started making my way home by way of the expressway. Unfortunately I wasn't paying enough attention, and as a result was going about 10-15 mph over the speed limit.
I also didn't realize that I was in the lane that curves sharply to the right rather than gently to the left. By the time I realized this I was almost off the road. I hit the brakes and tried to turn into the other lane, but it was too late and I shot off the road and up the hill.
For some reason I was braking when I was on the road, but when I hit the grass I stopped braking. I guess I panicked or something because, judging from the swath I cut in the weeds, I didn't really try to turn at all once I went off the road.
Anyway, I hit the metal part on the underside of the overpass, and the car stopped immediately. I was pretty dazed, so I couldn't really see much of what had happened except for a shitload of blood and glass shards. I got out my phone and called my parents while I kicked open the door and climbed out of the car. Someone had already called 911 and an ambulance was there within a couple of minutes.
I ended up with an abrasion on the top of my head that took a lot of my hair. I also had some glass in my hands and a broken sixth vertebra in my neck. From what I heard from the paramedics and my dad, the roof of the car had actually been sheared off by the metal part of the overpass, and the car was kind of suspended there. I must have ducked or something right before impact because the windshield had come into the car and probably would have taken my head off.
Anyway, I'm pretty okay and once I get out of this neck brace in a few months I should be in tip-top shape. It's a good thing I was driving a late-eighties Volvo; they have the double advantages of being relatively inexpensive and built like tanks. I miss it though. :( I just hope the wrecking people didn't nick my guitar out of the car.
I also didn't realize that I was in the lane that curves sharply to the right rather than gently to the left. By the time I realized this I was almost off the road. I hit the brakes and tried to turn into the other lane, but it was too late and I shot off the road and up the hill.
For some reason I was braking when I was on the road, but when I hit the grass I stopped braking. I guess I panicked or something because, judging from the swath I cut in the weeds, I didn't really try to turn at all once I went off the road.
Anyway, I hit the metal part on the underside of the overpass, and the car stopped immediately. I was pretty dazed, so I couldn't really see much of what had happened except for a shitload of blood and glass shards. I got out my phone and called my parents while I kicked open the door and climbed out of the car. Someone had already called 911 and an ambulance was there within a couple of minutes.
I ended up with an abrasion on the top of my head that took a lot of my hair. I also had some glass in my hands and a broken sixth vertebra in my neck. From what I heard from the paramedics and my dad, the roof of the car had actually been sheared off by the metal part of the overpass, and the car was kind of suspended there. I must have ducked or something right before impact because the windshield had come into the car and probably would have taken my head off.
Anyway, I'm pretty okay and once I get out of this neck brace in a few months I should be in tip-top shape. It's a good thing I was driving a late-eighties Volvo; they have the double advantages of being relatively inexpensive and built like tanks. I miss it though. :( I just hope the wrecking people didn't nick my guitar out of the car.
