Monday, December 27, 2010

.::. GTI Wreck .::.

Eight and a half years ago I was in a nasty car wreck and came out unscathed. I was approaching one the worst manic episode of my life at that point. I stumbled upon a short writing I composed shortly after that accident that I wanted to share.




Darkness surrounds me as I leave my driveway in the newly purchased GTI. It is Friday night, and I am definitely ready for a little rest and relaxation. A house light flickers through the trees as I drive out of my neighborhood. Nighttime approaches so much quicker during the winter months even though it was only a little after seven. For the end of October it was awfully cold already, but the first snow was still yet to hit. My night begins with a trip to the movie theater. There was a new release that night and my crew was excited about seeing it, and I had volunteered to get tickets early for everyone.

The night air was cold and hard to breath, darkness had already settled in. The sharply colder temperatures caused nearly freezing rain to pound down outside. Traffic was heavy as it always is on Friday night, but I was not in any hurry. I was driving my 2000 Volkswagen GTI 1.8T and was still adjusting my self to the optimal comfort level. I had just taken off my seat belt to fix my coat when I realized that there was an intersection coming up. This is not an uncommon intersection for me to drive through. It is only about five miles from my house and I pass through it at least once per day. I knew that I needed to be extra careful through the intersection. Forgetting about the seat belt I continue into the intersection on green, but as I entered the light turned yellow. As soon as I saw that the light had turned yellow I also saw the other car! An older Acura Legend turned left in front me. There was no time to stop and my vehicle proceeded into the passenger side of the Acura.

At that moment all I saw was white for a brief second, heard the crunch of metal and smelt leaking auto fluids. Opening my eyes I see that I had just been caught by the airbag and I feel like I'm in one piece. Stumbling out of the car in a daze, I look around to see people running up to me. Asking if I was ok, and what had happened. Shaking them off, I told them I was alright and proceeded back to the wreck. The evaluation of the scene was not good. My car looked totaled, and given the age of the Acura it was obviously totaled as well. I approached the front of the car and saw the damage. The motor was hanging sideways and the intercooler had flown about ten feet from the car. I ran to scoop up the intercooler, becoming dangerously close to the oncoming traffic. The intercooler was mangled up beyond belief. A couple of the witnesses ran up and told me that I should get back over to the side of the road away from the traffic. Walking back to the side of the road I see my bumper laid out and broken up about fifteen from the accident.

Shaking my head I reach to pull out a smoke, but my hands are trembling to the point that I brake the first two in the process. I can not believe that I am alive in these first few minutes after the accident. My back was sore, and my body was pumping adrenaline. In a matter of seconds my night had gone from getting movie tickets to going to the emergency room. The trip to the E.R. was uneventful, and was checked out ok. I had felt different then. Something in me snapped and suddenly I did not know what was real and wasn't. Half of my mind felt normal when it was like a second half of my mind was awakened. This half of my find had been in the background for the longest time subtly giving me hints into enlightenment. Not ready to waken until the time was just right. It seems as though a second spirit has awakened with in me and the GTI wreck seems now to play a significant role in this.