You
wonder, at least I do, when you pass an automobile accident on the
road, what it feels like to be on the inside of the car. I don't
honestly remember too clearly really. I guess, at first, we were all
in a state of shock. You wonder what the hell happened if you aren't
unconscious or dead. Then you begin to assess your physical
condition; you think of getting out of the damn car before it blows
up or some damn thing; you check with the other passengers to see how
they are; little by little you feel some relief that no one seems
seriously injured, except, wait a minute, there is no response from
Nancy. Then you notice the bloodstained rearview mirror that is
jammed into the shattered windshield and the inert young woman
bleeding from the head slumped against the back of the seat.
Another
thing you may wonder, upon sighting an accident, is how the police
and ambulance seem to magically appear, but magically and mercifully
they do appear on the scene and take all decisions out of your quite
incapable hands. The police gathered the necessary information and
surmised what had happened. The woman who was driving the other car
was unlicensed and uninsured. Why she stopped in the middle of
entering the highway was unclear, panic and inexperience I supposed.
The shock of impact apparently caused her to hit the accelerator and
careen her car into the drainage ditch on the other side of the highway.
Fortunately, neither she not her little boy were seriously injured.
In my car, however, Nancy remained unconscious. The ambulance arrived
and took her to a nearby hospital. Meanwhile, the Ts had been
contacted by the police and notified of the accident and that their
daughter had been taken to the hospital.
My
old '55 Ford couldn't be driven and had to be towed to a garage where
I would later make arrangements to have it repaired. Finally, all the
tiresome paperwork was finished and I went to the hospital where
Nancy had been taken and the others had also gone. I don't remember
how I got there, perhaps the police had been kind enough to drive me.
I was dreading having to face the Ts and now that the shock was
wearing off feeling pretty depressed, but I steeled my nerves to face
the music. I was expecting anger, and accusations and recriminations
of all sorts in my feverish brain.
Everybody
was there when I walked in. As I approached I fell apart and kept
apologizing over and over. Everyone assured me, over and over, that
it wasn't my fault and no one blamed me, that my quick braking and
swerving reactions had probably substantially reduced the force of
the impact and prevented a much worse outcome. They told me that
Nancy had regained consciousness and had incurred a mild concussion
and bruised forehead, but that she would make a complete recovery and
there would be hardly any scarring.
I
contacted my ship and requested a few days leave of absence to
negotiate repairs for my '55 Ford. The other guys went back to Key
West and I stayed on at the Ts. When the details were ironed out I went
back to Key West by bus, alone. I was in pretty low spirits with a
crippled car in a garage back in Miami facing a pretty hefty repair
bill. The other party, as I mentioned, was uninsured. I don't
remember if had collision insurance for my own car, probably not, so
the entire cost of repairs would have to come out of my own pocket. I
was in no mood for the patronizing reception I got from my division
Ensign when I came back on board the Salinan.
To be
continued...
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