I will never
forget the day it happened. Sunday July 19th, just a few
days before my son’s birthday and a few weeks before my daughter’s.
Earlier that day I heard a voice say “It’ll be alright. I’ve
got you, just trust me.” I was working as a delivery driver and
wanted to surprise my family with a trip to the beach for my kids’
birthdays. I picked up a couple of extra shifts that week and managed
to work the slowest day of the week alone. Business was slow for the
first half of the shift until it started raining out of nowhere.
Luckily for me, when the orders came in they were clustered in the
same neighborhood. I left out with 6 orders, 3 on one street with the
others right around the corner. By that time I was in a groove,
paying attention to oncoming cars and puddles on the side of the
street. As I made the turn to the entrance of the neighborhood, I
thought to myself “this truck is in my…” as it happened. Air
bags…smoke everywhere…and the smell. Until that moment it was
foreign to me. I tried to escape my car as I realized a Ford Explorer
was inches from my windshield. I climbed over the passenger seat,
opened the door, and placed my feet on the ground as I realized what
happened. Head on collision. Glass was everywhere as I felt blood
trickle down my face. As I was being loaded onto the ambulance I
heard “It’s a good thing you were wearing your seatbelt sir. Not
too many people walk away from a head on collision with a drunk
driver.” It probably saved my life. No, it SAVED my life. I can
admit, I haven’t always worn a seatbelt, but I did that night…and
every night since. A few months ago, I was at a stop light beside a
drivers ed instructor and he wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. I gave
a friendly honk and tugged on my seatbelt to which he replied with a
thumbs up and immediately put his on. That moment made me feel good.
It felt like I was saving the world, one driver at a time.