Accidents Happen

I am fortunate that I have only been in one car accident in my life. It was not serious, but it was an experience I never want to go through again. Story time!

It was September 2006. I was in my second year of college at ONU and only had classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Only going to school two days a week meant long days. I had to get there early and go home late. I didn’t mind that. However, leaving early meant driving at sunrise. The design of my car coupled with my height makes driving east at sunrise a dangerous thing.

I left that morning from our house in Tinley. I had not even made it a mile when a red minivan pulled out right in front of me! Temporarily blinded by the sun, I rear ended the vehicle. The woman driving the vehicle quickly ran out to check on the van while her son began to take pictures of the accident. However, when the police came, she claimed “personal injury” and demanded an ambulance. Her husband came to pick up the children and wound up rear ending my vehicle! Since there was personal injury involved with my rear ending, I got a court date and ticket. I wound up late to school and only had twenty minutes to take a theology exam. At that point, it felt like one of the worst days of my life.

While none of that was anything I want to experience ever again, it could have been much worse. In Chicago auto repair companies are abundant, probably more so than San Diego Auto repair, so my dad found a place in Tinley to replace both bumpers. I was given a Toyota Camry to use while my car was being fixed (thankfully I was given a car and not the Ford F-150), and oddly that was the vehicle I used to drive my sister and (now) brother-in-law on one of their first dates. The auto repair shop did a great job on my car, and my Cobalt was as good as new. I had to pay a fine in court, and the woman tried to claim “right side injuries” but the ADA declined to press charges. While at the time it was an inconvenience it helped me to be safer and more alert, and I hope to never be the cause of an accident again.