From Snohomish:
You know when you see a car crash on the side of the road and think to yourself. Oh no I hope they’re okay, you don’t really think about it that much, just continue looking out the window, it will never happen to you, right?
Well, you can never know that. I didn’t. The sun was shining brightly. My team just won our last state game in the tournament. I was filled with joy. Then it was time to start heading back home. I slid into the back seat; we had a long drive ahead of us. I ended up sleeping for most of the car ride. When there were only 30 minutes left of the drive, I went on my phone and watched videos until there were 16 minutes left. My friend who had just been on a trip sent me a Snap saying she just got home. I sent her one back saying, “Lucky I still have 15 minutes.”
I was still looking at my phone when I heard my mom gasp. I looked up. Bright white headlights. Right in front of us. There was no time, I blinked, and heard the loudest, horrifying crash, and we were hit. I felt like I had just woken up, and a dumbbell was thrown against my chest, and someone stabbed me in the back. It was like a dream, but it wasn’t, this was real. I hurt, like I had never hurt before. My ears were ringing loudly, and my eyes went blurry and dark. I looked up and saw the air bags blown up and our shattered window.
“ARE YOU OKAY? I TRIED TO STOP IT! I LOVE YOU! ARE YOU OKAY?” My mom yelled, while screaming in pain. I tried to say something back, but I couldn’t. We were hit. I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t breathe, I just sat there, motionless, trying to say something, trying to move. I thought it was the end for me. Then, I got a breath, it hurt. I said lightly “I love you” to my mom. My mom was yelling at her phone “CALL 911” a tear dripped from my motionless face. She was screaming in pain while trying to see if I was okay. “I’ll be fine.” I spoke lightly. A lady came up to my mom’s window and said, “I saw everything and already called 911, the car swerved in front of you. Can you open the door so I can help you?” I needed to help my mom; she couldn’t open the door, so I had to. I slid my way over to the other side of the car, with agonizing pain, each movement hurt worse and worse, but I knew I needed to help. I unlocked it for the woman, and she went to help my mom. I lied down as I started to hear my phone ringing; it was my grandma. I struggled to grab my phone and answer. “Is everything okay I got a notification saying you were in a crash.” I could hear her tears. Her voice trembling. “Ye-yea” I stuttered. “Everything is going to be okay, we were in a crash. I’ll be okay but I think mom has a broken leg.”
I wasn’t okay, and my mom definitely had more than a broken leg, but that’s all I told her. “I’ll be alright, but I need you to call dad and tell him.” “Okay” she stuttered, “I love you so much” she spoke. I then hung up and closed my eyes as I started to hear sirens. It still didn’t seem real, like I was in a horror movie. Firefighters and an ambulance arrived, then so did my dad. They strapped me to a stretcher. I laid in the cold, rain dripping down my face, back and chest piercing with pain. “I’m here I will meet you at the hospital, everything will be okay.” My dad says with cracks in his voice. I could hear my mom screaming in the distance. My dad couldn’t ride in the ambulance with me, so I was alone with a firefighter. I laid on the stretcher on the way to the hospital with tears running down my face. I hurt, so bad. “Where were you headed from?” the firefighter asked calmly.
“My state basketball tournament” I said, trying to push through the pain. He started asking me more about the tournament, as if everything was normal. Then there was silence. I was alone with my thoughts. I thought about what just happened, what was going to happen, I was horrified, and in pain. I then arrived at the hospital. I was rushed into the emergency room and put on the bed. Soon after my dad arrived, along with my aunt and dad’s friend. The nurse then put a liquid through my IV to help my pain. I got many MRIs to make sure my head or neck weren’t damaged. After getting an x-ray I was driven to another hospital where I stayed for three days, it wasn’t until the second day I stood for the first time. My lungs were bruised; my sternum was fractured, a rib was fractured, and my vertebrae was fractured. I wouldn’t be able to play sports for another 12 weeks and I would have to wear a brace for 6 weeks. While I was getting released, my mom was still in the hospital where she would stay for 6 weeks and go to rehab for 2.5. She had six surgeries, and she has 57 screws and 10 plates helping her bones stay together, she is still in her healing process.
I went from having a successful happy day to having the worst day of my life, all in the blink of an eye. I learned everything can change in an instant. You should appreciate every day and never take a moment for granted.
This essay is of the teen’s perspective from being a passenger in a head-on collision on state Route 9 in Snohomish in March. The causing driver, believed to be intoxicated, has not been charged in court yet.
