February 15th, 2008

Car Accident

On the way home from seeing the always charming and thought-provoking Russell Smith speak, the car I was in got rear-ended. Obviously, it was a very small accident, all parties were uninjured, or I would not be cheerfully typing this post in such a devil-may-care manner. In truth, though we’re all fine, the damage was minor, and I was home an hour later, I’m rather alarmed about the whole event. “I was in a car accident” *sounds* so serious, like “I had a heart attack” or “I got mugged.” Ew.

Plus, and this goes to show what a creature of media I am, I was very freaked out by the fact that vehicles colliding in actuality is nothing like how it is depicted in films, on tv and in books. When I had surgery last year, I was thrilled to find that ORs really look like those on tv, and coming out of anesthesia feels like it’s described in fiction. On the other hand, filmic car accidents seem to have more give and crush, metal bending into metal. In real life, it’s an unyielding feeling, like being whoomped in the back of the head by a brick wall (we were stopped at the time, maybe that’s why). It feels like the end of time, this awful if really short silence before everyone yells, “Are you all right?”

We all were, I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s just another illusion shattered really. Plus a taillight.

I would’ve hit them
RR