carson said:
I, and probably others as well, are curious about the injuries that happen in a smash like yours. What parts of the body are most affected? Luckily you did not have any broken bones, that would have been serious. Did the air bag go off? Maybe you can enlighten us a bit on the sequence of events.Don't want to intrude on your privacy; maybe we can all learn a bit. This stuff is not published very much.
Carson,
A much appreciated thank you to you and Carol for your concern. Isn't this RVForum thing neat that folks we've not yet met send good vibes our way?
As to the details of the incident, it may be cathartic for me to share them. I have been somewhat traumatized with the memories and hope to be able to drive again without the jumpiness I now feel.
We were having my new washer and dryer installed at Creative Coach in Lakeland, Florida. A good thing! One afternoon I decided I needed a few groceries at Wal Mart and new undies at Sears (you asked for details) I ventured out on my own using our Garmin GPS to navigate me to the destinations. I got everything I wanted at Wal Mart, including all the ingredients for the upcoming potluck at the Moto Sat Rally that was to be held at Lazy Days. I plugged in Department stores and found Sears to be the nearest some 9 miles away. I follow the directions, arrive at Sears Essentials, make my purchase and plug in my return destination to the Creative Coach. The GPS did not take me back the exact same way I came but I trust "Hilda" so I drove the way she said. It was a lovely clear day. The curvy road wound around ponds and through residential areas. I was totally enjoying the feel of a Florida community. I recall noting a MPH sign and drove the speed limit. I vividly recall another speed limit sign and I continued to drive within the speed limits. There were not any other cars on the road. I recall seeing an intersection upcoming that was going under an overpass as pictured exactly on my GPS screen. I recall seeing two lanes in my direction that both had a green traffic signal above them. The next horrible thing I saw was a green SUV Ford Explorer (making a left turn from the opposite direction I was traveling) RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME. I hit the brakes hard and instinctively swerved to the right to possibly avoid the car but it came closer and closer. I still see it at night. I HIT. The crash was jolting, loud and quick.
My car stopped and I saw the car that I had hit broadside had jumped the curb, mashed a road sign and was sitting against a chain link fence in front of me. I was still partially in the intersection. My Envoy was steaming, parts were scattered all over the intersection. I turned off the ignition but the engine seemed to continue to sputter. The door to my vehicle had opened and I sat there stunned. Several cars came on scene and several folks asked me if I was ok. I "thought" I was. I found my cell phone on the floor of the passenger side and leaned over painfully to retrieve it. I asked the folks on scene if I should call 911. They said someone already had. I fumbled with my phone and called Terry who was sitting in the motorhome at the service center watching my washer and dryer being installed. I think I said , " Terry I have been in an accident and I know you can't come to get me and I don't know exactly where I am located." He said, " Be sure to get the names of the witnesses, Is the car drivable?" I said, NO and started to mumble about how I did not know what to do and started to cry. There was a wonderful angelic person standing at my door side. She said, Give me your phone, I will go get your husband and bring him here." I handed her the phone with gratefulness. One of the witnesses told me she was right behind me and saw the whole thing.
the car had run a red light and turned right in front of me. She said I had no chance to miss her. About this time there was a person in scrubs who arrived , told me she was a nurse and asked how I was . I started to get out of the car and she told me just to sit there. I obeyed. At that time the thoughts going through my mind are still so vivid in memory to me. I thought, we have no car, we will need 3 estimates, it will take forever to have the car fixed, we are in Florida, I want to go home, I wish this did not happen, this is a very bad day and begin to panic. Now I feel severe pain in my back at the bra level. I also thought I was going to throw up. The lady said I think you should lie down. She asked if I had a anything to put down. I recall having a black fuzzy blanket rolled up in back of car and told her where to get it . Two folks helped me to the side of the road where I lay down on the ground and hurt. I heard the sirens of the ambulance arrive. God those paramedics are young! I heard them say "60 year old female complaining of back pain." How can I be 60? They brought out a back board, a neck collar and rolled me onto it. Then I heard them say, "On my count 1,2,3 " and they hoisted the gurney up and rolled me into the ambulance. I felt really heavy. I was like chatty Cathy I talked and talked and talked. I think they know my entire history. They took a blood pressure reading and it was waaaaaay higher than normal. It seemed the ride to the hospital took forever. I knew the driver missed the ramp to the freeway and had to make a course correction. No siren was going. My right knee began to throb and they put an ice pack on it. When we arrived at hospital, I got rolled into emergency and they put me in the hallway. There were dozens of folks there and no rooms were available. They took a history. I could recall my social security number, address all the details. But I was scared, cold and feeling quite panicky. They ordered ex-rays of my neck, chest, back and right knee. The doctor asked if I could move a few body parts and I could. I waited a few minutes and a teenage girl type chewing gum came to get me to ex-ray. She had me walk to the room. I was very woozy. They did all the exrays and had me stretching my arms up to reach parts of the machine and it hurt like hell , so she backed the stretch off to the next closer rung. I waited back on my own stretcher in the hallway. The doctor came out and told me I had not broken anything but I would be as sore as if I had been working out a a gym. He gave me two Ativan to calm me down. he asked how I would be getting home. I told him I had no idea. About this time the doctor told me that my husband had arrived. The police from the scene of the accident had brought him to the hospital. I was SOOOOO happy to see him but worried if he would be mad at me for wrecking the car. He clearly was not. He had the Tivo from the car and the GPS in his hand as he retrieved those items before the wrecker took the car away. The TIvo was in the car for transport to a repair place. He called Enterprise Rent a car and they picked him up from hospital. He told me to wait in waiting room if I was released before he came back. I waited. He returned. We drove to a the wrecking yard and retrieved more personal items from car. We went to pharmacy to have my pain meds prescription filled. We went to a fast food place for Dinner.
So back to Carson's question, the seat belt seemed to have been the brunt of my most painful injuries. It feels like broken ribs on left side and my knees were both badly bruised from hitting the dash area. Later this week my neck hurts and my back still aches. Vicodin takes away the pain but makes you loopy.
The air bags did not go off. Given the extensive front end damage to car, that is surprising. The wrecking yard folks thought that I had hit the car so low that it did not cause them to go off. I was braking and maybe the front end of car was lowered as a result???
Something I now recall as a bit humorous, I was so concerned about the groceries I had just purchased. I told everyone I had milk in the car. Well my comments made such an impression, that the wrecking yard took my perishable items and stored them in their refrigerator until we retrieved them. I did not lose a thing. Thinking now about the Florida community individuals who helped me out I can only say a big thank you. Those random acts of kindness are so appreciated and made for a better situation of a bad day. I hope I can return the favors to others in any way. Well Carson are you sorry you asked?
Betty
