Well, it's finally happened. It was bound to, with all the walking I do
downtown. A College of Charleston girl on her cell phone ran me over in
her car, right after hitting the gas and trying to make a left turn on
green before the light changed. I had the unfortunate pleasure of being
in the crosswalk and in her path at that exact moment.
What an interesting experience. I've seen "autopeds" (that is what we call them in the business, short for "auto vs pedestrian") before, but I never realized what a sensation it is to be lifted and thrown in the air like a rag doll. My perception of time changed, and I watched my coffee fly into her windshield in virtual slow motion. Amazingly, I landed back on my feet, which is certainly more an indication of the angle of impact than my own catlike reflexes. She was clearly more shaken than I was, as were the instant crowd of bystanders; they seemed insistent that an ambulance be called and that I be transported post haste to the hospital. I declined, sat down, and checked myself for any semblance of a tibia/fibia fracture. I've performed the same check on countless others after some sort of trauma; this was the first time I've ever checked myself.
The girl, Lindsey, was quite shaken up and was begging for forgiveness and some way to help. I told her she could replace my coffee and I'd consider us even. On the way to get a replacement, my questions flushed out some elements that no doubt contributed to the situation. She met a guy in a bar on Halloween, they apparently fell in love, and four days ago he asked her to marry him (all this over the course of two months). Despite her admitted reservations concerning the short dating interlude, she said yes (incidentally, he's a "nuke" student at the local Navy school, and according to her they do not "glow green", destroying the only reason I could think of that so many girls seem to like them). She also just graduated with a BA in theater and is planning on getting married and moving to Hawaii within the next two months. At the time that she struck me she was on the phone with a good friend trying to explain all of this. In the end, I was able to get a better quality coffee and a ride home, and she was able to step back, albeit only briefly, from a life that has become amazingly disorienting.
If anything, I consider the story to be a cautionary one; kids, be wary of quick love or you might end up almost killing someone.
Ultimately, the joke is on her. The coffee she replaced had only initially been half full.
What an interesting experience. I've seen "autopeds" (that is what we call them in the business, short for "auto vs pedestrian") before, but I never realized what a sensation it is to be lifted and thrown in the air like a rag doll. My perception of time changed, and I watched my coffee fly into her windshield in virtual slow motion. Amazingly, I landed back on my feet, which is certainly more an indication of the angle of impact than my own catlike reflexes. She was clearly more shaken than I was, as were the instant crowd of bystanders; they seemed insistent that an ambulance be called and that I be transported post haste to the hospital. I declined, sat down, and checked myself for any semblance of a tibia/fibia fracture. I've performed the same check on countless others after some sort of trauma; this was the first time I've ever checked myself.
The girl, Lindsey, was quite shaken up and was begging for forgiveness and some way to help. I told her she could replace my coffee and I'd consider us even. On the way to get a replacement, my questions flushed out some elements that no doubt contributed to the situation. She met a guy in a bar on Halloween, they apparently fell in love, and four days ago he asked her to marry him (all this over the course of two months). Despite her admitted reservations concerning the short dating interlude, she said yes (incidentally, he's a "nuke" student at the local Navy school, and according to her they do not "glow green", destroying the only reason I could think of that so many girls seem to like them). She also just graduated with a BA in theater and is planning on getting married and moving to Hawaii within the next two months. At the time that she struck me she was on the phone with a good friend trying to explain all of this. In the end, I was able to get a better quality coffee and a ride home, and she was able to step back, albeit only briefly, from a life that has become amazingly disorienting.
If anything, I consider the story to be a cautionary one; kids, be wary of quick love or you might end up almost killing someone.
Ultimately, the joke is on her. The coffee she replaced had only initially been half full.
Cute story. I'm glad you are okay.
Cute? Really? I totally almost died. All I can remember is the thought going through my head, "Don't spill my coffee!"