As seen in my post about health insurance (though post is a generous term, it is more of a rant) I got in a car crash over the weekend. While the crash wasn't all that bad, and honestly I do get into crashes more than the average person, for some reason this crash is stuck in my mind. Maybe it's because I've never been in a crash where people got hurt. I've never needed to talk to an EMT or fill out paperwork for car insurance benefits for the doctor. I've never been across the country from my fiance when my life was saved but for the grace of air bags. This was real, this wasn't minor, and it had real results and I'm feeling really shaken by it.
I was visiting my parents in Denver (well, actually Englewood) Colorado for fathers day. I made the plans for this trip in January, an impressive feat when you know my inability to keep secrets. Especially good news secrets, secrets I am excited about. I, with the help of my coordinating mother, did it though. I arrived at the airport and got an uber with a kind father, got out at the bar my parents were at, and after accepting my mother's wild hug walked inside to my more than surprised father. It was amazing, and I'm so happy I did it.
On my second day there, this past Saturday, we started off the day by going to Luv Bridal. I highly recommend, to anyone in the Englewood area, that you check it out if you're looking for a wedding dress. They're not huge like the shops you see in Say Yes to the Dress, but they have a good selection and they were very kind. I found my dress, to my surprise, and from there walked around their neighborhood and investigated the many stores. Antique stores with the coolest furniture, an 80's store decked out with toys and memorabilia, and Fashion Nation, a store with the largest selection of Doc Martins I have ever seen. I very nearly bought a pair of soft leather purple ones, but saving for a wedding means I cannot drop $130 at the drop of a hat. That night we went to a Mexican restaurant and though I was dying to talk to him, my father spent his night watching me struggle to stay awake.
On my third day there, fathers day, we went out to the zoo. I'd gotten burned pretty bad though, and after standing in the sun for barely a minute my arms and legs began to hurt. Instead of the zoo we opted for the climate controlled museum next door. It was fun, Google had a robot that danced and, of course, there were dinosaurs. We did a fun exhibit where you learn about your body (heart rate, how you walk, one poorly executed computer that showed you how you'd look at 70) and walked through a cave to see a variety of gems and minerals. We then left and made out way to dinner before dropping me off at the airport. Of course I never made it to the airport, we crashed and I missed my flight.
I don't actually remember being hit, it was hours after the fact that I was told that I had been hit, my door had been smashed. I'm still not really sure what damaged the car- if we were hit on the drivers side, which we were, then why is the passenger's side front all smashed up? My parents probably know, but for now, I'm fine not knowing. It's been a couple of days and I'm already feeling better, my head is mostly fine (unless I have the brilliant idea to poke it) and the only pain that remains is the occasional reminder of a sprained shoulder or wrist.
Here is what has changed, for me, because of this crash. I'm well aware that without the curtain airbags and the seat belt I would be in a dire position. I'd be in ICU in Denver now, my fiance would be awkwardly waiting for me to heal beside my parents, also in the hospital. So, despite the fact that I've always worn my seat belt, I'm now (more than ever) concerned with the safety of my car. The next time I buy a car it will have curtain airbags, and though I've never met a reader, I hope anyone reading this does the same.
That's it, that's all that's changed, I'm fine, my parents are fine, and I actually kind of like my new frames for my glasses. I'm getting a better grip on it, I'm feeling less melodramatic, and in a week I'm sure this will just be a not-so-funny story. For those of you who are looking for something funny in this post, here is a not-so-flattering but exceptionally amusing picture of me my mother took while I was avoiding having to hold the ice pack on my head post-crash.
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