smash

Just so I don't worry anyone, let me say this. The girls and I were in a car accident, we are OK.

Our car, maybe not so much...

It just looks like a missing bumper, but the damage might be worse. If this is what a written off Volvo looks like, I wouldn't have wanted to be in any other car.

I was driving the girls home from getting their new shoes. Ola needed a pair of high tops to support her new braces (more on those later), and well Poppy just wanted a new pair because Ola got did.

I sat in the mall parking lot for a few minutes before we left returning a phone call to the hospital about my looming lumbar puncture appointment (more on that later too.) 

I started driving home and on a straight stretch of road close to our home, it happened.

A man driving a older car sped through a stop sign. I spotted his car and slammed on my brakes a swerved to the right. I hit him hard on his rear fender sending him into a spin. I slowed to a immediate stop, and he continued in to a large boulder across the road. I swung my car around to the other side of the road where he was, and quickly checked the girls. Poppy was wide eyed and quiet, Ola was fast asleep.

Ola sleeps like a baby in our Volvo (this was not on crash day, and I was parked when I took this photo)

I went to check on the other driver and once I knew he was ok, I asked him why he didn't stop at the sign. He said he didn't even see it, he was looking at the rock across the road. 

I called Mark. "Please come help me. The girls and I were in a bad car accident." I might choose my words more carefully next time and omit the word "bad" just to save his sanity. It is only a 2 minute drive from our house, but still.

He arrived and took control of the situation. He gave me a hug, called the police, and an ambulance, and checked on the other driver. I stayed with the girls, and asked the witness if she saw what happened. He came back gave me another hug and I cried.

We got checked by the ambulance, the girls appeared fine. The driver took note of Ola's Down syndrome and noted that she couldn't verbalize her pain, but that I would take her to the hospital if she started acting unusual. My arm was numb and my heart was racing. 

We talked with the police and got phone numbers and I drove home. Pulling through the last stop sign by our house sent me into an emotional meltdown. I started crying and by the time I parked in our driveway I was sobbing. 

Poppy unbuckled herself and hugged me. It was awful, I just kept thinking what if, what if?  I was pretty much a mess for the rest of the day, I hardly ate and I was so so tired. I couldn't sleep that night, I just kept seeing the flash of the white car and then feeling the smash. Over and over all night long. I was happy to have the nightmares as long as the kids didn't.

I flinched yesterday as we drove past the spot. I guess that's normal. 

I told my Mom that even though my phone was no where near me when the accident happened, that I promised that I would never touch it while I was driving again. I think we are all guilty of grabbing our phone when it beeps or rings. I stopped texting and driving a long time ago, so this is the next step. I can answer my phone with my handsfree headset and that's it. If I had my phone in my hand when that accident happened I couldn't have controlled my car the way that I did, and I shudder to think of what might have happened. Ola would have had the full impact of that crash on her door, and my free hands prevented that from happening. When I spoke to the adjuster at ICBC he told me that I have 16 years of safe driving. I couldn't believe it. 16 years? And only one speeding ticket. I thought I was safe but hearing him tell me that I was made me feel better.

I find out tomorrow if my car will get fixed or written off. I love my car, and now that I have had the Volvo experience in a crash I don't want any other car but my own. 

Poppy on the other hand thinks that our rental van is going to be awesome.

Parked waiting in the border line-up with my favourite quiet driving time friend.

Lets end this thing on a happy note shall we? Today is the last day to comment on the previous post to be entered to win the Cuppow! and painted jar giveaway!