The Day of the Accident

I'm a bit hesitant bringing this up, as the accident brings back some painful memories. It was the middle of July and I had just delivered a pizza to a doctor's office that's literally right across the shop from where I work, and I was on my way to cross the street, when I had T-boned an SUV.

The driver in the SUV twirled in a semi-circle and was now facing the side where cars approach. It was a good thing I had hit the right side of his van; he probably would've been dead had I hit the other side. He sustained minor neck injuries. The only thing on my part was the front bumper completely fell off, and since the airbag had went off so fast, it ended up burning the skin on my right wrist.

The police came fairly quickly. After trying to explain the situation to a confused officer, myself and the other driver were rushed by ambulance to the local hospital.

"I won't be able to go fishing tomorrow..." the other party lamented. I felt horrible. I knew I was at fault and I had no idea how I could ease the situation.

When we get to the hospital (a hospital that has ordered from us quite a few times, actually), a nurse squeezes out some gauze out of a packet, spreads it across my burnt skin with his finger, wraps it up with some blue wrap, and calls it a day. I mean, that's all I needed, really, and when I had looked at the emergency transport bill of over $1000 and the hospital bill over $700 later on, I realized I should've never went to the hospital in the first place.

While I'm there I go up to the other man who I hit. He was laying in a bed next to mine.

"Sorry about that," I said.

"Don't worry about it," he said something along those lines. "Accidents happen."

As I'm trying to talk to him, the nurse that was treating me tells me that I can't be there with the other party. I find out later that this is because hospitals don't want any lawsuits going on, so it was nothing personal.

"Fill?" Two female cops come in. The first one, a portly brunette, is holding a citation in her hand and gives it to me, while addressing me in the usual condescending tone and look that cops give. Behind her is a slender blondie that doesn't say much until she tells me where my car got towed.

The brunette says, "You gotta be more careful. This is just a warning; your insurance won't be affected. The police report will be ready tomorrow." On the citation, it read, "FAILURE TO YIELD."

You gotta be more careful. I frankly don't have a whole lot of respect for cops. 8 out of 10 times I get pulled over, it's for an illegitimate reason. I had one who deliberately tailgated me at night that caused me to speed up. I had another who told me, "Your license plate lights are a little dim." A third who told me I was too close to the car in front of me. The times where I've gone over a red light, sure, that's a good reason, but for the most part, I feel like it's because they're bored and they've got nothing else to do. It's like they want you to do something wrong on purpose. It doesn't help that the news throws the spotlight on a cop who shot an innocent person eight times.

I've driven for six years now and that was my first accident. So, dear cop, you're not even going to ask me if I'm alright? Thanks, jackass.

When I tell her I don't have any questions, they leave. Another patient, an older gentleman, is repeatedly trying to rip off his IV from his arm. It got to the point where the original nurse that was treating him left and the one that was treating me took over.

"You're acting like a child," the nurse said. The patient is throwing his arms in a tantrum and the nurse is trying to hold his arm so he can wrap a cast around it. "We're trying to make you better."

"I don't want it!" the old man exclaims.

"I don't care!" the nurse shots back. After he finishes the wrap, the old man sighs, unable to get the IV out again.

I had mentioned before how dangerous the road in which our store is on is. It's four lanes. It was even less at the time since there was construction going on. I'm actually amazed I'm able to keep driving at this particular area; I get a tight knot in my stomach every time I cross this road now. But now I take the safe way. In other words, the long way. If I can help it, I'll take a right from our store even if the delivery is to the left. I will either turn left at a parking lot to turn around or take another right to get to your destination. So, if you feel like your deliveries are taking longer than usual, it may be because we're taking the safer route. Not that I've gotten any complaints about how long it takes, but it's just a heads-up.