Oops
Anyone having a bad day? My guess is, it’s not near as bad as the little black car in this photo.
While turning left into my business park this morning, this little black car tried to pull out in front of me. I continued on in full intimidation mode, which usually pans out to my advantage. Looking in my rear-view mirror, the same car picks a larger, much more intimidating vehicle to pull out in front of – a big rig. And gets t-boned.
Bad move. It literally screams do-over.
I hate seeing an accident. When I do it always seems like it’s in slow-motion, that sick feeling goes down real deep like it’s my own. The car actually came off the ground when the eighteen-wheeler hit it, and I thought it was gonna flip. The good news is I believe both people are going to be okay. I saw the driver of the car get out once, but got right back in and he was still in the car when I left.
Under duress, I’m completely useless on the phone calling in an emergency.
911: Police, fire or medic?
Me: uhhhh… police, and-and medic too I think… an eighteen-wheeler just hit a car…
911: What’s your location?
Me: (voice shaking) uhhhh… I’m on the corner of, uhhhh… Ying Road and uhhhh… Yang Blvd… at uhhhh… Ying-Yang Business Park…
911: Ma’am, can you repeat your location and what the emergency is?
Me: (deep breaths) okay, I’m at the corner of Ying Road and Yang Blvd, at the Ying-Yang Business Park. A car was just t-boned by an eighteen wheeler.
911: Okay. How many people are in the vehicles?
Me: uhhhh, I’m not sure. From where I’m standing there appears to be one person in the truck and one in the car.
911: Are there any hazardous materials or chemicals involved?
Me: Huh? I don’t know… I’m standing on the side of the road.
See what I mean? Useless, I tell you. Lesson of the day: never chance pulling out in front of something twelve times your size.
Recipe for Disaster
Another one has happened. A death, albeit a celebrity – at the hands of an automobile texting behind the wheel. Dr. Frank Ryan, a plastic surgeon to the stars, gained even further celebrity status when he controversially performed ten procedures in one single day on the reality series star Heidi Montag.
Dr. Ryan was driving along the Pacific Coast Highway immediately following a scenic hike with his beloved dog, Jill. He snapped the below picture of sweet Jill lying in the sand atop a cliff, as she gazed longingly towards the sea.
Twitter has become increasingly popular over the past few years, and Dr. Ryan seemed to have become as fond of it as I. Personally, I feel it’s the one social network in which you can share your thoughts with the rest of the world… without people yacking back at you. Rather, it doesn’t appear on your own page if they do – it dirties up their own.
Photo rights © http://twitter.com/drfrankryan
His tweet: “Border collie jill surveying the view from atop the sand dune”
The one thing I don’t understand is why he didn’t tweet the picture right upon taking it, instead of waiting until he was behind the wheel. His car veered off a PCH cliff, down a 20-foot embankment of rocks. Dr. Ryan was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash with the official cause of death being blunt head trauma. Amazingly enough, his dog Jill survived but she has serious injuries after being found in the ocean below. I can only imagine the heartbreak his poor Mother is feeling! Quoted as saying on his 50th birthday just last year, “Happy birthday dear.. birthday boy… our miracle baby. He’s been wonderful, and I hope he has a long life.”
Photo rights © http://www.tmz.com
I know this is a hard one to look at, but there could be worse. Some of us need to see the reality of our actions… because I know I did.
I’m ashamed to admit that texting while driving is something I myself used to do. Before all the hype and headlines about the dangers it brought, I did it. Trust me when I say I’m not proud of it, and have had a few very close calls resulting from this selfless and careless act. I can’t tell you exactly what it was that changed my whole outlook – maybe it was the close calls, maybe all the news headlines… or maybe it was that dreaded four-minute video that circulated around on facebook and elsewhere. Whatever the case is – I realize how very lucky I am.
Texting while driving can be life changing, and life taking. For yourself, and for others. We don’t need the celebrity status to deem ourselves invincible… we have the uncanny ability of feeling that all on our own!! Please don’t chance it.
Life of Bon 
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