The White Dress

I remember preparing for the day of celebration and a time where I could officially close my chapter at West Broward High School. There were many memories attached to this day, but I remember the anxiety that already has been tormenting my family. A week ago, my father and I were headed to grab a bite to eat at a local Wendy’s when I received a phone call from my mother. At the time, she was working in the pharmaceuticals industry and would occasionally plan services for clients. Having finished her first service, she had caught me up with her day and explained how she was about to head on her way home. As I kept on through the phone call and sneaking glances at the menu, I heard a loud crash and her phone fumbling in the background. It took a couple of moments until I heard my mother pick up the phone and pantingly state, “Anniris, I just got in a car crash. Tell your father to call me.” Her service was located two hours away from our house and my father had gone in his car to see if he could get there.

The young girl was using her phone when she ran into my mother who was backing out in the parking space. Despite her being at fault, my mother suffered injuries and had to seek treatment at a facility. The doctor had her take a couple of weeks off before returning to work, in which she had to have a rental while her car was being fixed in a shop. However, I remember my parents began to quarrel because of the extra charge with rental insurance.

During this time, a lot was going on for me as well. I was about to graduate high school and I had to already start getting financially prepared for college. For my graduation, I planned on wearing a simple white dress that would match the theme at my school. My mother suggested we all go to a boutique, considering she could not drive after her accident. The drive was long, but there is always traffic in the city. My father shortly took off with my other sisters while my mother and I went to the boutique. I spent only a couple of minutes going through every hanger before I found the perfectly fitted dress. My mother agreed after seeing me try it on, so we were left to check out at the register. We left the store and called my sister to see where they could be. As she was saying they were looking for a place she could use the bathroom, my mother then heard a clamorous thump in the background. “We just crashed mom,” my sister whispered on the phone. “Where are you guys?” My mother frantically asked before we started racing to the street. As we were getting closer, I could see the cops speeding down the streets and mass traffic developing. It was like the closer we got to find them, the worse our anxiety got and the faster we started running.

Then we stopped until the scene came into view, and there was my dad and sisters standing talking to the officers. From afar, there seemed to be no car in sight. When the entire street came into our perspective, we stopped sharply and found a body being strapped to a stretcher. His motorcycle was on the floor, broken into different pieces. Crowds were developing in the area, with news cameras being set up in every corner. My family was in safe circumstances but our eyes were tied to the ambulance until they left. I stood near my father and a witness, where they were talking to a police officer. Gathering the story in my head with the pieces I heard, it seemed that the same male in the motorcycle attempted to do a wheelstand, which is a stunt done where the front wheels lift off the ground. He unknowingly didn’t see my father in the lane and crashed into him towards the end. My parents were surprised that within a short time, they were going to need the rental car insurance protection against car accidents. However, this very sad case led to that same man being paralyzed neck down.

The importance of driver education is extremely necessary, as many people who have access to roads can run into problems instantly, if not driving with proper care. To reduce the number of deaths related to driving, policymakers should attempt to bridge the health and transportation sectors. Also, increasing the standards to drivers’ certification would assure that new drivers are more aware of their driving. There could also be more policies and laws limiting any stunts done by vehicles or motorcycles on the road, considering they have the possibility of jeopardizing public safety. To be a better and safer driver, I would continue being precautious as a driver and making sure to stay prepared for the future of my driving. These experiences are only two of the many accidents that happen on a constant basis and society needs to better promote safe driving, for the sake of the public’s health.