In the scope of a lifetime where do two seconds fit in? What can you say or do in two seconds? You could tell someone you love them in that timeframe and that would/could change your life. You could do something really tragically stupid that would change your, and other's lives around you. This post is about neither of those things. I am not telling anyone that I love them. I am not doing anything stupid.
I figure two seconds today really and truly saved my life.
I was driving 81S to Chambersburg today to see some customers. I needed to get there and back quickly, to meet up with a serviceman for some home issues. Therefore I was cruising pretty quickly. I noticed a Statey in the median so I slowed up a little and pulled to the right to let then WV car fly by. No harm, no foul I guess for that car. I then speed back up and get behind the WV car. We drive about one more mile and see all kinds of metal debris on the road in both lanes. Being that it is 81, trucks are in the right lane back to back, pr so I thought and WV car and I are cruising the left. There is no room to swerve, no time to brake, just avoid as best as possible. Each of us do. All of a sudden out of the right lane I see a maroon car come flying across the lane perpindicular to us. We each lock the brakes and watch as the maroon car crosses the left lane into the median. WV car swerves to miss and I drive straight. As the maroon car leaves the road it is right in front of me so I see everything plain as day in slo-mo. At that point on 81 the median is like a ditch. This does not bode well for the maroon car as it is now airborne, and rolling to the right in midair. The nose hits and the car flips forward and rolls again on the ground. HOLY FUCK! I am now sure that I just witnessed someone dying in a car crash. WV car & I pull over as traffic speeds by oblivious in both lanes. As I stop and dial 911. I am starting to get real nauseous. Then someone was obviously touched by a higher power than their seatbelt. The driver crawls out of the passenger side window and walks to another stopped car. I have no idea how it happened that he walked away from a 60 mph airborne flight and roll, but he did. That Stateys arrived while I was still on the horn with 911. Amazing.
So, back to the title. At my speed the difference between writing this post and being T-boned by that car was about two seconds. Maybe the time I lost by slowing down a mile previously?
That may have been the craziest thing I have ever seen while driving. It was total slo-mo. It was right in my face. Thankfully no one was hurt.
After I replayed the accident in my head a few more times. It reminded me of something I said to A last night. " I know how I feel about things right now. I do not know how I will feel about things tomorrow, or next week, or down the road. I can not control that. Things may change in life that I can not control."
Things damn near did change today, in just two seconds.
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2 comments:
I'd like to think the story would have ended with "April Fool" but no such luck. Another example of how quickly your life can change. Thank god you and the other drivers were unhurt.
glad that you are unscathed. i'm amazed that the person walked away, too. see you saturday.
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