"Auto"matic Foul!

Update: 3:30pm

My labels for this post are quite redundant, wouldn't you say?
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I got hit by a car yesterday morning. It was one of those things that was inevitable based on the "near-misses" I've been having recently. A car pulls out of a gas station into the road. I'm driving in the left lane of said road, figuring that he is merging into the open turning lane to wait on my lane to clear of traffic. No, this car actually proceeds to drive straight into my lane...right into my truck! The driver never stopped, and I guarantee you that they saw me. There was no blind spot involved here, or anything like that. I did not stop and get out of my truck to check for damage and exchange insurance information. I just kept driving even though the other driver was at fault. Here's why:

There are a few roads here in metro Atlanta that Chris has warned me over and over not to drive on. MLK Drive is one such road. Chris has actually pleaded with me to take any other side street I wanted, but to avoid MLK Drive like the plague. Well, this morning, I got a late start leaving home, and by the time I got on the road traffic reports were measuring the length of time to drive from Douglasville to the I-285 perimeter at 65 minutes. Bear in mind that this is a drive that should only take about 17 minutes. So, MLK Drive pretty much dead ends at the CNN Center, and I figured I'd chance it this particular morning. Looks like the odds were against me. most of the people that live in this particular area of town invite confrontation so that they have a reason to react violently and impress their friends. I refuse to give them the opportunity to use me to prove their thug, wannabe "manhood" to someone. So I never even stopped driving until I got safely to work.

I prayed the entire remainder of my drive, specifically asking the Lord for peace and understanding. I was beginning to tremble with anger. "Why does this keep happening to me", I wondered aloud? Remember the incident with "Laura" from a few months back? No? See my post "Legalities vs Emotion" for a refresher. I also neglected to mention the interesting event that occurred about two weeks ago where a MACK truck came barreling uncontrollably across the entrance ramp simultaneously crossing all 4 lanes of the highway before crashing into the median wall 25 feet in front of me. I was too shaken up to bring it up here, and by the time I got over it, I had moved on to other things.

I can't help but wonder if this is the Lord's way of getting my attention. Sometimes I get so caught up in my own worries and concerns that I forget to just listen out for Him. You better believe I'm listening intently now! Oh and by the way, I did finally check my truck for damages after I got to work. Not a single scratch! That's called "God's Unwarranted Favor!" :-)

Legalities vs Emotions (part 3)

Situations aren't always the way they initially appear, especially after you've given a little more rational, calm thought to them.

When I left you last, I was sitting in my car waiting for the police to arrive. Laura is in her car doing the same. Actually, she is on her phone having what appears to be a very animated conversation with someone. I begin to reflect on everything that had just happened. Then, I begin to envision what would happen when the officer got there. I've been in accidents before, unfortunately, so I know how it always goes:

They usually pull up about 40 minutes to an hour after the accident took place, sit in the car for another 5 minutes on their radio to dispatch, and finally get out of the police car and say, "Okay, what happened?" I was DREADING this, because I had already stated to Laura that I was sorry. I was starting to get nervous about how things would go down when the officer got there, because I had already decided to follow Chris's instructions and not admit fault. But how?

I need someone to talk to about this; I look at the time. Chris is already in class by now. I immediately call my mom. I tell her what happened, and I mention Chris's advice about admitting fault. She asks me exactly what happened in the accident. I explain it to her, and as I'm talking something occurs to me. Remember how I said before that I merged into a lane that was not meant for cars in the direction I was going, but instead meant for the oncoming traffic? Well, if I'm merging into an illegal lane on the road, and I hit a car going in the same direction I'm travelling that is ALREADY in the same illegal lane, wouldn't they be at fault as well? Aha! This is confirmation that it helps to talk things out calmly instead of just reacting (something that people with my natural personality do regularly).

After talking to mom, I feel about 65% more confident about what the situation will be when the police officer arrives. However, I'm still not ready to deal with how this little "firecracker" of a lady will react when it's time for me to present my side in front of her and the officer. She's pleasant for the most part, but she definitely gives off a little more attitude than I personally need. Maybe that's because I smashed her car.

When the officer arrives, the unexpected happens.

Legalities vs Emotions (part 4) coming soon....

Legalities vs Emotions (part 2)

When I see the woman (I will call her "Laura" for our purposes here) get out of her car, I size her up instantly: Petite, black woman, in her early to mid-twenties with great fashion sense. I surveyed my own "casual-Friday" outfit with slight disapproval. I take a deep breath and walk around my car to assess the damages. A few scrapes above the wheel well; a small crack in the headlight coverings...that's it. I then walk over to take a look at Laura's car. O.M.G. The whole right side of her car is smashed in and there are huge gashes all the way across. My jaw drops. I hear myself saying out loud, "I'm SO sorry!" She comments that it was an accident and accidents happen...that's what the insurance company is for! That doesn't make me feel much better, but I still appreciate her attitude about it somewhat.

Another thing that stands out about Laura is her "take-charge" attitude. She calls the police immediately; she is on the phone with her insurance company while simultaneously handing over a sheet that contains her contact/insurance information. She also hands me a pad and pen so that I can do the same. Laura is definitely no joke. At this point, I realize that I do not have a copy of my insurance card on hand. I call my husband, fill him in about the accident, and get him to read the insurance policy number off to me. I thank him, and he leaves me with this: "Do NOT, I repeat, DO NOT under any circumstances admit fault." I reflect on my "I'm SO sorry" comment earlier. Oopsies. I bid my hubby farewell without saying more. I filled out my information on Laura's pad and handed the pad back to her.

We get back into our cars and wait for the police. How do I not admit fault when a) the first thing I said when I get out of the car was "I'm SO sorry" and b) I turned my truck and rammed into a vehicle that was already in the lane I was merging into? How you ask? There is a slight twist to all of this that didn't immediately occur to me or to Laura.

Legalities vs Emotions (part 3) coming soon...

Legalities vs Emotions (part 1)

A few weeks back I was on my way to work on a Friday morning. I was in a pretty good mood, as I usually am on Fridays. I'm sitting in a long line of cars waiting on a red light to turn green. I'm many, many cars behind the light. I have a clear view of the traffic light, even though I'm pretty far back. It occurs to me that the single lane that I'm in separates into 3 lanes further ahead: a left-turn lane, a right-turn lane, and a lane that goes straight. I intend to turn left eventually. There's no one moving in the line of cars in front of me, and there's no one travelling in the on-coming traffic lane. Traffic inches up a little bit.

Now, to the left of me, there is a lane beginning to form. It is actually a left-turn lane for the on-coming traffic, so I'm not supposed to use it. But, if I merge into it and drive for about 7 seconds or so, I will soon be in my left-turn lane that I will need. I look behind me and see nothing. I look ahead, and after a few seconds decide to just go for it. I cut my wheel to the left to go around the cars in front of me and SMASH!!!

It turned out that someone in the row of cars sitting behind me must have had the same idea I had about going around traffic. I yelled at myself for not looking behind me one more time before attempting to merge. I immediately feel remorseful since I am only focused on what I could have done to prevent the incident. We both pull our cars to the side of the road. I am so shaken...my beautiful little SUV has marks on it now. :-( Oh well, it's just a vehicle, I think to myself. The lady steps out of her car.

I didn't know it at the time, but this would become one of the oddest and most emotionally complex situations that I have encountered in my 32 years of living.

Legalities vs Emotions (part 2) coming soon...