Hand of God vs. Coincidence

Today I was driving to work. When about 100 yards in front of me, a car pulled out to make a left turn in front of the car in the right lane and the car in the right lane t-boned the turning car.

It was rainy, and I hit my brakes, by the time I came to a full stop, I was directly next to the car who had just hit the other one. I looked over to see a body that wasn't moving. It reminded me of the time I saw a guy crossing the street and was hit by a car. It was almost the same lifeless expression. I described it like a "dead rat".

Oddly, it didn't phase me. I saw the other car (the one that tried making a left turn into oncoming traffic) still moving! I was thinking to myself "Oh hell no! This car isn't going to cause an accident and get away with it!" So I turned to follow it (at 6am, not many cars were on the road)

The driver must have been passed out because it idled until it hit a curb and nudged a telephone pole before stopping.

I called 911. Surprisingly, and seriously, what the hell, there was a 1 minute wait! "Your call will be answered in the order it was received."

After this car stopped, I was running late for work. I didn't stop to help anyone because if I learned anything from my law enforcement training in the Navy, it's DON'T TOUCH PEOPLE AT ACCIDENT SCENES! Wait for the EMT's to arrive! I could seriously hurt a person.

I assumed the person trying to make the left turn was passed out, maybe dead, but not likely. This SAME exact accident happened a couple months ago at the SAME exact intersection, except the lady turning wasn't so lucky. She rolled the dice turning in front of a semi truck, and getting hit in a sedan by a semi truck going 55-60 doesn't ever end pretty. She died at the scene.

This person could have died. I don't know. I didn't get out of my car to find out.

I turned into the gas station, and that's when I saw the driver of the car who wasn't at fault get out of his car and walk around. I was glad he was okay. I called 911, told them what happened, they asked for my name and number, and I gave it to them and was on my way to work.

I hope everyone is okay. I checked the newspaper website to see if the accident was reported (generally, they only report accidents that involve fatalities) and I didn't see anything yet, so I'm hoping nothing was fatal.

But let's take that out of the equation. I witnessed this accident as it happened. The person turning into oncoming traffic had seriously NO SPACE to make that turn. They turned nearly INTO the oncoming car! What the fuck were they thinking?

People need to be scolded for IDIOTIC mistakes. I mean, holy shit, this is life, the only one we live, and you want to risk it to make a fucking left turn in front of a car? And remember when I said there were no other cars on the road? I wasn't kidding! It was me, the guy who hit the person turning, and the person turning! Why couldn't they have waited 5 seconds for us to pass? People will probably feel bad for whoever got hurt, and yeah, I hope they're okay, but they need to re-take driving lessons or something.

This has happened to me MANY times in the bus. Some jackass sees a bus coming and decides to tempt fate and cut in front of me. Despite my road rage, I just question the mental capabilities of human beings. Why would you ever risk that?

The car that hit the car turning left with oncoming traffic, on any given day, could have been me (And the difference between me and the other car is that I DON'T HAVE AIRBAGS! THey already deployed!). It was rainy out today. Normally, I travel 70 down that road despite the 55 mph limit. For some odd reason, I was only going 57. And I was in the left lane. When it gets to that intersection, I normally stay in the right lane because a cop hangs out at that corner and generally has the radar pointed in the left lane.

What other things happened today? While taking out the recycling, the wind blew three of the pizza boxes all over the street. One disappeared, the other two were in front of our house in the middle of the street. The extra seconds I spent picking those pizza boxes up could have been the 100 yards I was behind the accident.

But did this phase me? No. Not at all. It wasn't one of those moments where I was immediately falling to my face thanking God. It's not because I don't believe he has a hand in keeping me safe, in fact, it's quite the opposite. I know he has a hand in keeping me safe. I don't doubt it for a moment. So when things like this happen, these small coincidences, they don't phase me. Because I know God is always watching over me.

And when it's my time to go, shit, it's my time to go. But why should I be phased? I'm always grateful to God for the life I have, and I know he can take it at anytime.

It's the poetic nature that makes me sad. I don't know if the person died or not. I'm guessing not likely, because they were hit by a sedan. But just imagine. Today, while living your normal routine, could have been your last day. It's the details of this thought that makes me sad.

Like the lady who died a few months ago. I had passed the accident minutes after it happened. The cops hadn't arrived yet. I saw her lifeless body hanging out of the side of the car. I couldn't tell if she was dead, didn't see blood, but she was old. But at 1pm on a September afternoon, what was she doing? Was she turning to get gas? Was she turning into the shopping center? Was she going to the mall to buy clothes? Was she meeting her friend for coffee? Was she heading home where she lived alone? Was she heading home to see her grandkids? Was she a bitch to everyone she knew? Was she the sweetest lady that existed?

These things make me sad. And it's humbling. That life can end like that at any given moment. We'll have tasks that we didn't complete, friends we didn't bid farewell, lovers we never said goodbye to. Just like that, and BAM our existence is just history. The chapters of our life are finished writing, and the two words "THE END" appear.

I believe and know there is hope after this life. But what do they believe? What do you believe?

Despite my heavenly ambitions in the afterlife, it's signs like these that we can't take for granted. Living life is a blessing. I'm always up and down with how I feel about life, but the truth is, I'm a lot better off than the lady who was killed turning into an oncoming semi-truck. What can I possibly complain about?

I am blessed for the family I have, the life I have, and the passion I have. God has blessed me. So is it the hand of God or coincidence that I wasn't the car to hit the one turning?

I say hand of God. Coincidence means there's nothing to learn from this. There's always something to learn from everything! Don't take life for granted! And seriously, don't drive like an idiot!!!