"My late-night
Accident."


Leaving a
friend's house one night, driving home in the dark, I was hit by a
truck on the side of my car. This was a typical route home I had
taken many times before. There was no issue or concern about the
drive. As I was driving through the city streets of Guntown,
traveling about 40 mph, out of nowhere, a huge black truck collided
with my car on the driver's side.
This
particular location is known for being dangerous because of the
difficulty of seeing as you prepare to turn. The truck was driven by
an older man, likely having trouble seeing. As he attempted to turn
with traffic, he ran directly into my car. This scared me to death,
and I screamed and cried, immediately panicked and exited the vehicle
to confront the driver. My anger was heightened, and I was visibly
and emotionally upset. As I approached his truck, I could not see
him. I began yelling and calling out to him in anger. Once I saw the
gentleman, I quickly realized his age and immediately apologized for
my words and began to check on him. We talked about the incident, he
calmed me down, and the police were called. While waiting on the
cops, we inspected each vehicle for damage. Seeing the extent of the
wreck on my car, I tried to move into a vacant lot. That's when I
could see the dents and damage to the car. The lights were not
working, and all alongside the driver's section, many dents and cuts
were visible. The damage was extensive. Is truck was slightly
damaged, only losing his bumper.
My lesson
from this incident was initially to avoid this section of the road.
However, the main takeaway was to learn to be a more defensive
driver, paying better attention to other vehicles. I was not
distracted, but had I been paying closer attention to this area; I
would have known to slow down and watch for incoming traffic. I can
easily see how others, texting-messing with the radio-eating food-or
talking on the phone, make themselves a target and are more likely to
end up being in an accident than those that are not distracted and
are paying attention to driving. I want to tell others my story and
demand my friends to pay more attention, slow down, and not be
distracted while driving…especially at night.


Grace
Hester-Saltillo, MS

November 21, 2019