Saturday, January 21, 2012

I passed the car ahead of me, and as I crossed the center line back onto the right side of the road, the snow caught me and I lost control. There was an on-coming vehicle approaching, which is why I attempted to get back in my lane more quickly than was apparently safe. I started swerving and then I was spinning in circles. I am trying to remember exactly what happened: what I was thinking, how I reacted, how my car moved, how many times I spun, but it all happened so quickly. I do know that thoughts of needing to steer into the skid crossed my mind. But I didn't know exactly what that meant, and which way was I skidding anyway? I remember seeing white out the windshield - snow and headlights as I spun. I did not scream. I asked God to protect me and to not let me hit the on-coming car or the car I had just passed. I stepped on a pedal, I believe it was the clutch because I think I also changed gears - either downshifted or put it in neutral. I may have braked a little. But whatever I did, I did very little to guide the car so gracefully off the shoulder and into the ditch. I was on the right side of the road, still headed in the same direction when I landed, so I know I spun a complete 360 at least once. I don't remember my heart racing, but I'm sure it was. I remained surprisingly calm. Dad said, looking at my tracks, that I veered gradually off the shoulder and into the ditch. I came to rest beside a plowed field. The shoulder of the road was about level with the roof of my car. The ditch was steep, and had I hit the shoulder at a different angle, I probably would have rolled my car. Had I gone off a bit further down the road, I would have went off an eight or nine foot drop, and I may have hit a mailbox or a post. I could have easily hit the car on-coming, or caused either car to also lose control in trying to avoid me. As it was, I was pretty lucky. I hit absolutely nothing, and my car did not flip, which would certainly have caused damage, to myself or at least to my car. I am thankful. I am sure God had his hand on my car, directing it just so. Because it was definitely out of my control.