In 1978 I was involved in an accident that left my body broken, the break in my back had came so close to ending my ability to walk and my left leg was broken in so many places the doctor's didn't know if it could be saved. As time has gone by the old injuries have given me some trouble but for the most part I have done well. I was to have knee replacement surgery but it had to be put on hold because of the breast cancer. The treatment for the cancer has caused the injuries to be magnified. I have a bit of a limp but am thankful that I am able to walk.
In a writing class I had taken I was given an assignment to write about a day that had changed my life. I would like to share it with you.
One Saturday Night
Life can change in the blink of an eye and this night would prove to change my life forever. My story begins on a Saturday afternoon, much like any other Saturday. The loud ringing of the phone brought a sense of excitement as I waited to hear from my new boyfriend. His band was playing on the Island, and he was hopping I would be there. After convincing my older sister how much fun we would have, we started to make a plan for the night out. My girlfriend called and she and another girl had met some guys that drove a van. How perfect! We could all ride together and save money on the ferry ride to the Island.
The music in the bathroom blared as we sang along and fussed over our hair and makeup. As I slipped on my new white jeans, I could hear a car coming into the driveway. The blasting of a horn followed and I knew the party had already started.
It was 1978 and the van was really a cool ride. The outside had a mural of a mountain in brilliant colors. The front seats for the driver and passenger were the only seats in the vehicle. The rest of the van was open except for a bed against the very back. All of us fit comfortably into the van. It was perfect; counting myself and sister there were ten passengers in all.
After boarding the ferry, we quickly made our way to the upper deck and soon we were underway. As the large boat rocked back and forth, I gazed out over the water and felt a wonderful sense of peace. A sense of peace that at that very moment seemed jaded as I recalled to myself that the driver of the van had starting drinking before we had even made it to the club. I quickly convinced myself everything would be okay
The music was loud and we danced and danced some more. Before I knew it, the night had come to an end and it was time to get back to the ferry terminal. We knew there was no time to waste because the last ferry of the day would leave at 2:00 am. As we drove down the dark windy road, the driver realized we were lost and I suddenly felt a sense of panic. Soon we were back on track and heading in the right direction. The driver realized he wasn’t going to make the ferry on time unless he sped it up. The van accelerated and started slipping around corners as we began to go faster and faster. The passengers in the van all started to cheer as they anticipated the arrival at the ferry dock. As we rounder the last corner of the road and could see the water ahead, the driver lost control of the van and the vehicle slid to the right; until it came upon a Union 76 station pole, where it found its final resting place.
I don’t know how much time passed but as I started to wake up I realized I was lying face down on what felt like cold metal. I sensed something warm on my face, as I wiped it away; I could see the blood on my hand and knew it was coming from my nose. It was quiet and peaceful and I was out again, to a place that I don’t have a memory of. I woke to the voices of men, as intense pain set in once they started putting my broken body on a board. The next thing I knew, it was very cold and the sound of a helicopter was all I could hear. Time passed very quickly with only short pieces of my memory intact.
The next day, the newspaper reported the worst accident in history to occur on the island. The driver of the vehicle was intoxicated and the estimated speed of the van when it collided with the pole was 70 miles per hour.
Two of the passengers in the van died that night. The driver was dead at the scene and the other died 30 minutes after the accident. One of my close friends had a severe head injury and died a few years later. My sister and another girl walked away without a scratch. The rest of the passengers had their own story to tell. I ended up spending almost six months in the hospital and the next year in a wheelchair, then on crutches. My body was never the same. Because of this, I now have a new appreciation for life and every experience that comes with it.
I started talking to my kids at an early age about wearing seat-belts, something we never did back then, and more importantly to never get in a vehicle with someone who has been drinking. I made some really bad decisions that night and because of that my life has been changed forever.
( I can't believe the things we didn't know about smoking back then) We Have Come A Long Way!
