Five years ago this month, I was in a car accident that I should not have survived. Thankfully, there are a number of reasons why I did.
First of all, the grace of God. Then there was the quick arrival of the Elma First Responders, the professional training of the ambulance crew, the amazing Erie County Medical Center ER team and ICU staff, and the love, prayers, and support of family and friends who knew of the accident.
All that said, there is one key element from that accident that most essentially kept me alive
My car.
At the time I was driving a Volvo I had purchased in 2006. It was the first new car I’d ever bought on my own, and I was beyond proud. I decided to name her, “Vivvie,” and together we traveled over 100,000 miles across America.
Over the years Vivvie’s body, like mine, became a bit worse-for-wear. There were nicks and dings on her exterior, and her leather seats began creasing and sagging. Still, like a valiant road warrior, she ran whenever and where ever I asked her to go.
I clearly remember the moment of the accident ---the loud explosion of the air bags, the blackness that veiled my vision, the sense of spinning and whirling, all while desperately trying to understand what was happening.
As it turned out, what was happening was that Vivvie was flying across the road, over a ditch, and into a field of grass and pine trees. As for me, I ended up with a cracked sternum, three fractured ribs, head contusions, an assortment of bumps and bruises, and possible heart damage. Then there was my injured knee--- the size of a football---which I was unable to move for five days, no matter how strongly my brain commanded it.
For weeks following the accident, my life revolved around medical appointments, therapy regimens, recovery forecasts, endless insurance forms, and painful conversations about Vivvie. In the beginning I struggled to engage in those discussions. I loved that car and couldn't imagine traveling without her, even though I knew she was totaled in the accident.
Then one day my daughter engaged my sense of curiosity with the statement, "Mom, you should have seen what your car did."
Did?
I definitely valued Vivvie and the road trip adventures we had shared. But even I knew that she (ok...it) was an inanimate object. Why was my daughter suggesting more? Her next words explained.
”When your car finally stopped, the frame was bent over you, mom. It was like it formed itself protectively around you.” Still today, that description touches my heart.
Eventually I bought another car. It was a difficult process, as I was still shaky from the accident, really not ready. But life goes on and I did too. I'm sure you are thinking that I bought another Volvo. Truthfully, I tried, but time and circumstances were not in my favor. I had to get back on the road. Back to my life. So I purchased a car that was the best of the lot at the time.
Fast forward to February of this year, and that "best of the lot" car decided it was done—literally. It quit functioning. Once again, I was in a position where I had to find a car quickly. Only this time, I was healed and able. This time, I was blessed with a friend closely-connected to an area car dealer. This time, I was able to find a Volvo.
Like me this Volvo is not new—-she’s got some miles on her. Yet every time I get behind her wheel I’m comforted by my belief that, should I get into driving trouble again, she will protect me.
Introducing Vonnie, my new best friend.