Near-death experience # 3274

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My first and only mistake was leaving the house.

It was labour day, Monday 6 October, and I wanted to go for a swim. I got up early (for me) to avoid the crowds, and by 9:30 I was pootling along through the usual series of roundabouts one finds on any road in Canberra.

My swimmers are black, and slowly dying of chlorine poisoning. The smell neve goes away. It was a beautiful, sunny morning, and I was enjoying the glasshouse effect within the car on my way to the pool.

I slowed down at a particular roundabout I've passed through many times before, checked for other drivers, and went through. I was going straight. Just as I reached the left turn of the roundabout I noticed a car coming on fast from that direction. I figured they'd slam on the brakes.

They slammed into me.

My passenger window exploded, showering the road and the inside of my car with glass. The doors on that side collapsed like a dying meringue: crumpled, concave and torn. My windscreen cracked. I was thrown sideways in my chair, and yelled out without words. My car was thrown aside by the collision, so I ended up facing the nature reserve on the right hand side of the roundabout. I didn't know it then, but my car was totalled. Oddly, the left-hand mirror is fine.

I drove straight up over the curb onto the grass, and shut off the engine. My body felt all fragile, like I hadn't eaten in days. I felt like I was somewhere else.

The passenger seat was covered in glass, and so was my towel and swim card. Some of the pieces wore complex webs, waiting to break further. The passenger window was gone, except for a few jagged stalactites hanging from the forward corner. They've since fallen down.

I watched as the car that hit me drove away.

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Best day EVER!

The lady came back (she was looking for a place to stop), and her insurance will be giving me enough money to buy a new car. I will probably make a cash profit, which is BRILLIANT. She says she just never saw me, and has so far called me three times to apologise.

Even after she drove away I thought the accident was really cool. I was dazed, and sat on the grass and just looked at my car for some time. My only injuries are some extremely tiny cuts from glass, and the inconvenience/decision-making that comes next. Despite the fact that I have an anxiety disorder, this kind of thing doesn't bother me. The other driver wasn't hurt at all, though her car was a bit smashed (I wouldn't bother fixing it in her position, but she's not me).

I went for a swim, and went home - terribly pleased with myself and with all that had happened (though I feel sorry for the lady, who obviously feels very bad).