A Stranger’s Life, Grandpa’s Leg, and My Ankle

A
Stranger’s Life, Grandpa’s Leg, and My Ankle

By
Grace Cook

There
is a lot at stake for me in preventing irresponsible driving. I will
share the stories of how irresponsible driving affected both my
Grandfather and me to illustrate why I think drivers ed is
crucial.

Two
years ago when I was riding my bike home from work I was T-Boned by
an SUV at a 4-way stop sign because she didn’t look both ways before
proceeding into the intersection. It was my “turn” and it
wasn’t until I was waving at her to thank her for letting me go that
I realized she was wasn’t. It was terrifying, I thought I was going
to die; as I went down I screamed out to God and I honestly believe
it is a miracle that I was not seriously injured. At first, in the
shock, I thought I wasn’t injured at all! However, in addition to
bumps and bruises, my left ankle was badly sprained. After the boot,
crutches, a messed up back and months of therapy, I am thankful to
have regained full function of my left ankle, however, it will never
be the same. It is still swollen and I have to do special ankle
stretches daily to keep it from paining my every step. What’s worse
is the fear I carry that when I get older it is going to give out on
me, causing me to fall and maybe even break my hip. That wasn’t the
first time irresponsible driving had affected my family.

It
was dark, about 10 pm, the crisp December of 1974 when it happened.
Heading home from a paint job, Grandpa stopped at a red light and put
on his left turn signal. The arrow turned green. He started out into
the intersection and that’s when out of his periphery he saw the
lights. CRASH. WHAM. “Someone’s been hit!” he thought, slipping
out of consciousness until a lady was asking him if he was okay. The
drunk driver who hit my Grandpa was likely going over 100 mph when he
ran the red light – just fast enough to be in time to hit Grandpa’s
front driver’s side wheel, sending the vehicle spinning around
almost 360° and redirecting the impact that could have taken my
Grandpa’s life before I even met him. This impact was not without
long-lasting effects. In time, Grandpa recovered from the bruised
elbow, torn sternal cartilage and broken clavicle; however ever since
that day, his left leg shakes when he goes into a deep sleep. Grandma
tried to cope with it at first, everything from pretending it didn’t
bother her to attempting to tie his leg down to the bed! But now the
loving couple has slept in separate beds for over 30 years. However,
this loss seems minor compared to that of the driver. A new father,
just 19 years old, the decision to drink and drive cost him his life
and widowed his wife. His Chevrolet was completed severed in two
after rebounding off of my grandfather’s car into a pole. Empty
beer cans lined the floorboard, mocking the bloodstained windshield.
I am extremely grateful Grandpa survived the accident but my heart is
still heavy for the wife and child the drunk drive chose to leave
behind through his careless action. She thanked my grandparents for
the sympathy card but only time can heal such a loss.

Because
of this man’s life, my Grandpa’s leg, and my ankle, a lot is at
stake for me in the issue of irresponsible driving. Both of these
accidents were preventable. It was irresponsible for the man to get
behind the wheel while under the influence and it was careless for
the woman to not look both ways at a stop sign! Drivers ed is
key to preventing incidents like this from occurring. Future drivers
should be presented with both the statistical data about the effects
of irresponsible driving, concrete examples of the many ways one can
be distracted while driving (and tips to avoid them, i.e. put your
phone out of reach, focus on the road, don’t drive under the
influence). I also think it is important for stories like these to be
share. While anecdotal, I have come to realize, it is generally
stories that move people to action, not numbers.

I
take steps to combat irresponsible driving every day. Firstly, I
always wear a seat belt. I check my blind spot EVERY time I switch
lanes and I am raising awareness of the danger of irresponsible
driving by sharing these stories with you and others. Thank you for
your effort to raise awareness towards the same end.