One Second

It was a Friday evening, August 3rd, 2019, that I saw my life flash before my eyes. I was driving a 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. I was traveling on Smith Valley Road in Greenwood, Indiana around 7 p.m. I was going to stay the night at a new friend’s house that I met while working at Chick- Fil-A. She lived out in the country and I had no idea how to get there. I had typed her address into my phone on Google maps. I had planned to pick up one of my best friends from school to take her with me; plans changed and I am so thankful there was no one with me that night. Before leaving my house I had typed in her address and saw it was about 20 minutes away. I decided I was going to get ice cream beforehand so I was traveling toward State Road 135 in Greenwood. My maps were still on and talking to me so I had looked down to turn the maps off until I was heading towards her house. Looking down at my phone could have changed the lives of myself and many others forever. I had looked down for less than a second just to push the word “End” on Google Maps. A second was just too long; my car went off the roadway into a yard of a home. When I realized what was going on I had turned my steering wheel very sharply to try and get back on the road. When doing so, I overcorrected and my Jeep flipped on its top sliding into oncoming traffic and then going off the opposite of the road and continued to flip approximately five times before coming to a stop upside down about 200 feet from where I started. The entire time, I was screaming, thoughts were rolling through my head, I had lost all control and had to accept the fact that there was nothing I could do. As my jeep was sliding and flipping into oncoming traffic all I could hear was glass breaking and metal crunching. All I could think about was other people that were in my path and who could have been getting hurt. When I felt my car come to a stop, I was instantly worried not about myself, but about other people who may have been injured. My seatbelt was the only thing keeping me from being falling out. I was just waiting in my car for someone to come help. After about 10 seconds, I could hear many voices outside of my car. The person who first came into my vision was an elderly man; he instantly crawled into my car, unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed me from underneath. After I was able to get out, I had learned that there were no other vehicles involved which was a miracle. I was so thankful that others were able to stop in time to prevent from hitting me as my Jeep was sliding towards them. The EMS arrived about 3 minutes later, calling my mother when they arrived. When my mom arrived she was immediately shocked by the extent of the wreck. She thought it was just a “fender bender” whenever I called her at first. EMS made the decision to transport me to the hospital for X-rays, CT scans, and testing; after seeing the results were clear of any injuries the nurses kept telling me it was truly a miracle. I stayed at the hospital for a few more hours following just to be sure everything was okay. After being released I went home, slept for a long while, and was very thankful for everything in my life. Looking back on this incident it is clear for me to see how important it is to give your full attention to the road and your surroundings. If I had not been wearing my seatbelt the EMS believes I would have been ejected through the windshield. All of my belongings were scattered throughout the road and yards. I realize now how easy it is to get distracted while driving and how important it is to stay fully focused on the road. I also realize how important it is to wear your seat belt. If more people could understand the fear I experienced that night, I believe more people would understand the importance of giving 100 percent attention to the roadway. I feel distracted drivers are the cause of many accidents. I hope with new laws going into place, it will prevent people from using their phone and texting while driving. I also hope my friends and family as well as other will continue to always wear their seatbelts as I am confident that changed the outcome of my accident. My life as well as the life of others could have been changed forever that night because I took my eyes off the road for one second, which is all it took was one second.