Facing adversity after a car accident

Distracted driving has become an alarming issue, affecting countless lives and communities across the world. In a society where cars are ubiquitous, even isolated acts of distracted driving can cause serious harm. For me, this issue took on a deeply personal dimension last December when I was involved in a severe car accident. The other driver, preoccupied, attempted a left turn directly into the path of my vehicle. The collision was unavoidable and catastrophic. The accident resulted in the totaling my car and leaving me with severe pain that persisted for months. This experience not only disrupted my life as a graduate student and a teacher, but also deepened my understanding of the pervasive dangers of distracted driving. In this essay, I will detail the impacts this incident had on my life and outline my ideas for raising awareness and preventing distracted driving among young drivers.

The day of the accident began like any other. I was driving to visit my girlfriend, focused on my route and surroundings. Suddenly, everything changed. The other driver, absorbed in their phone or some other distraction, turned left without checking for oncoming traffic. I remember the fear of bracing for impact and then waking up later in an extremely foggy state. My car was totaled, and I was left in shock. Although I survived, the aftermath was both physically and emotionally harrowing.

The physical pain from the accident lingered for months. At first, I was plagued by intense headaches, neck stiffness, and back pain. I dealt with neuropathy in my left hand which made it hard to type for more than a few minutes at a time before my hand would become tingly and numb. Mentally, the replaying of the accident was very jarring, especially knowing that I was left unconscious for a period of time. That memory, or lack thereof was terrifying to me. Tasks that I once took for granted—sitting for long hours to study, or even simple daily activities—became significant challenges. As a graduate student, who was still teaching high school full time, my schedule was already demanding, and these injuries made it exponentially harder to keep up. Concentration waned and my mental health took a hit as I grappled with anxiety every time I had to drive again. The trauma of that day replayed in my mind, making even the shortest drives nerve-wracking. The experience fundamentally altered my perception of driving—once an ordinary activity, it had transformed into a source of stress and vigilance.

My experience, unfortunately, is not unique. Sure, there was a lot of challenges and headaches I faced. I needed to see a physical therapist. I needed to find a new car to get me to work and to school. I needed to catch up on my coursework. All these things had a significant financial toll that needed to be resolved in order for me to move forward with my life. In addition, I needed to mentally and emotionally deal with the hardships that came with this accident. Would I have prolonged injuries? Would I be comfortable ever driving again? How would I catch back up both in my own coursework and with my duties as a high school teacher? Several months were spent in a dark place. One that was filled with pain and uncertainty about my future.

I am lucky to be in a situation where about a year out, I am doing much better mentally and physically. Part of that I believe came from how I was able to deal with the adversity I faced. In my time rehabbing, I came across a quote by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius stating “you have power over your own mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” This quote still is on the wallpaper of my laptop to this day. Part of my journey in becoming resilient to adversity is a focus on what I can control. I was able to make my peace with the fact that I could not control the accident, nor could I control the circumstances that took place as a result. What I could control though was my mindset. I tried to approach every day like it was its own individual challenge. I tried to improve every day and focused myself on trying to stay positive. While I wasn’t able to do this every day, and had my own setbacks along the way, focusing on what I could control versus what I could not made me much more resilient than I thought I was capable of.

In all there is no right or wrong way to approach the adversity that life deals you. While some things are out of one’s control, but how you think, and react are within personal control. I know now that what I can control is how I think. I have immense power over my own mind and feelings and despite outside events and adversity, such as my car accident, my own power and strength of my mindset can help me overcome a lot.