Accidents Even Happen to the Invincible

Readers, I want to make this very clear: all I wanted was sushi.

I swear, that's all I wanted. Just some delicious, fresh sushi, maybe some salmon, and some crab and cream cheese wontons from Tsunami Buffet in Morehead. But apparently, God had other plans. Because he decided to put an 86 year old man and, as illustrated so wonderfully in the police report, a "Large Pine Tree" in my way.

Here's the scoop: picture it. Newport, North Carolina. April 29, 2012. I had just finished my first running session in about a year and a half. Al and I were on a weekend sushi kick, having found out that Tsunami Buffet now sells sushi to go priced by the piece and the rest of their buffet by the pound. And what's better on a lazy, spring Sunday than getting some fresh fish?

We set out on Highway 24 for our journey. I was doing exactly 55, and I remember it because I was surprised that it was the exact speed limit. And then, it happened.

A Toyota came out of nowhere. I was in the left lane. They came out of a driveway from the other side of the road, cut clear across the turning land and directly in front of me, doing about 25 mph. I swerved into the right lane to avoid rear-ending them, not thinking that they would change lanes again. Without looking, they cut in front of me again, still going 25 mph (or around that number), and forced me to swerve suddenly a second time to try and get back into the left lane. Apparently, a 2 ton Land Rover is not a good vehicle if you need to move quickly.

The rest is a blur. I remember spinning onto the other side of the road. I remember feeling dizzy. I remember the sound of the car as it crunched into the tree (which myself, my boyfriend's mother, and the girls at work now jokingly refer to as "Carly's tree"). I was never unconscious. I panicked instantly as soon as I realized what happened.

Thankfully, it wasn't as bad as it sounds (or looked). Everyone who helped me out of the car and treated me at the hospital was amazing. I took two days off of work and wore a sling for a week to heal my sore shoulder. I've been recovering very quickly too-it's been almost a month, and other than some pain in my rotator cuff and some scars on my arm that I'm healing with Mederma, I'm perfectly fine. Al didn't get hurt at all. Several people who saw the accident stopped and gave statements to the police, eventually helping them find the man who cut in front of me. He's been ticketed, and, true to the nature of men, said that his wife was the one who told him he was clear to pass.

Luckily, the only thing that suffered (other than the car and the tree) was my blog and my Twitter account. But now I've got my blog back up and running, as well as my Twitter, and will have some new posts to make up for lost time. Thankfully, I'm here to write them. So, wear your seat belts, and remember-accidents are accidents, and they can happen to anyone, even the invincible.