I believe that every driver on the road should be required to have some type of drivers education completed. When someone decides to get behind a wheel while knowing it’s not the best choice or actively deciding to not make the best choices, the results can be deadly. I took a driver’s education course and not only did I learn the rules of the road but I also learned about the dangers that come along with driving. I wish that I would’ve also encouraged my peers to do the same because then maybe the accident would've never happened.
The day didn’t just start off like any other. Today we would be competing in our first varsity meet of the season. I was in a relay and a couple of other events. My friend would be throwing shot put and discus. Everyday we rode together to school but first we were required to drop his siblings off at their grandparents house. When my friend arrives at my house that morning, he already has the kids in the car. Now before I go on, it’s important to note that my friend was only driving with a learners permit. He didn’t have a license, just a permit. It may not have been smart but it was the only way his family was able to make it by. He had to take his siblings each morning and we had to get to school somehow. When I got in the car I noticed that the kids seemed fairly tired. The boy in the back was already asleep. He was on the right side of the car laying down with his head right behind the middle console. The girl just continued to look out the window. I greeted them all, as usual, and we left not knowing how much our lives would all change that day. As we were on the road I noticed that my friend wasn’t saying much as he was driving. I didn’t know if he was upset with me or if something else was bothering him. I just figured that he was still tired because of how early we had to leave.
For the majority of the ride, we drove down Cornhusker street. On the island in the middle of the road there are tall metal pillars or light poles. These pillars contain designs in order to serve as decoration and are stabilized by concrete blocks found at the bottom of them. I stared out the window and looked at the small lake right outside my window. It all happened in an instant but it felt like the time had never gone by slower.
I’ll never forget the date; May 3rd, 2023. The car ran straight up the curb and smashed into one of the metal light poles. The windshield shattered. The airbags shot out. It’s an extremely difficult moment to relive because in order to protect yourself, your brain wants to bury memories like these. The next thing I notice is the sound of screams. Everyone is terrified but the moment has already happened. The damage had already been done. Upon impact my friend yelled, “Shit,” knowing that he had made one of the biggest mistakes of his life thus far. His swearing is what stuck with me the most. I had never seen him this scared, nervous, or freaked out ever in my life. I knew that we were in a terrible situation. Before I can even process what happened he then begins to yell, “I killed my brother! I killed my brother!" I turn around and see something that will never escape me. His brother is still laying in the same spot as earlier but he now looks nearly unrecognizable. His face split open. Blood is gushing everywhere. He is unresponsive. My friend tries to get him to respond but I tell him to leave him. Let him sleep. If he were to wake up, it would feel like a never ending nightmare for him. He would wake up and his life would be unbelievably different. He wouldn’t be able to recognize himself or even know how it all happened. This all happened within seconds, but I couldn’t let the time drag out feeling this slow. I quickly jumped out of the car, while missing a shoe. I got the girl from out of the backseat and put her onto the island in the middle of the street. I made sure she was okay and luckily she didn’t have any injuries. I thought the same went for me but I soon discovered after attempting to pick her up that my left hand was much weaker than normal. I thought nothing of it. I hopped into the backseat because I knew that we couldn’t let his brother just lay there. I took my friend's track uniform and applied pressure to his brother’s head. By this time there was a pretty crowd around us from a distance. A couple of men had come up closer to help but there was this one lady who probably helped us the most. Neither my friend nor I were able to find our phones. Several of the people nearby were on the phone with 911. The lady helped us try to get ahold of our parents. Another terrifying part of the whole incident was the fact that my friend who was driving was not able to get out of the car. The car was so smashed in on his side that his legs were jammed in and the door wasn’t able to be opened. He had no feeling in his legs at this point. He was able to get ahold of his mom but I wasn't able to get ahold of mine. In a short amount of time the fire trucks and ambulance were there to help. We needed several because the three of us with obvious injuries were taken directly to the hospital.
I had never felt more alone or helpless than I had at this point. I felt like I had nothing. I was unable to help any of the people who were like family to me who were now hurt. My parents had no idea what was happening and were so worried when they finally discovered what had happened. I had never experienced feelings worse than this. On my way to this hospital they asked me a bunch of questions in order to confirm that I was conscious as well as oriented to person, time, and place. They stuck an IV in my arm. Normally I hate needles but at that moment I didn't even feel it because I was experiencing all the adrenaline from everything.
Once I made it to the hospital they stuck me in a neck brace and placed me in a room. The whole hospital heard about our horrible crash and identified us as the people who were in it. My friend's brother had to be life-flighted to Omaha Children’s Hospital because of his near-fatal injuries. His blood was still all over my hands and I couldn’t help but cry. No one could be certain whether he would make it or not. Head injuries were serious and we had no idea what the future would be like for him. My friend ended up needing stitches in his leg in multiple places. He had also broken his wrist. I had just broken my thumb. I had cuts, scrapes, and a small wound in my right shin as well but I didn't need any stitches.
Luckily, my friend and I were able to leave the hospital that same day but his little brother wasn’t. It wasn't fair that we got to leave and he didn’t. To me it was strange. In the days that followed, it seemed that everyone else got to go about their lives like nothing happened. A news story titled, “Four Children Injured in Morning Crash” popped up under my mom’s social media page. The comments underneath were filled with statements like, “Where are the parents of these kids?” and “Wow, kids these days are just stupid.” The comments were right though. It was not smart to let a kid with only a learners permit drive everyone who was in the car. Everyone in both families has learned a lot from this incident but wish this wouldn’t have happened in order for the lesson to have been learned.
The boy took months to recover and had to go through rehab in order to recover. He was unable to play basketball, something he loves dearly, for a long time because of his injury. I continue to thank God that we are all okay and still here till this day.
My friend, the driver, told everyone that the crash was a result of him sneezing but he later revealed to me that it was because he had fallen asleep behind the wheel. This is why driver education is important. When someone decides to get behind the wheel, they hold all of their passenger’s lives in their hands. This is also why teenagers need to know how dangerous driving while sleep deprived is as well.