I was in an accident today...

. . . and I discovered that all those "defensive bus passenger training" exercises I put myself through in my school years in NYC finally paid off!

On my way home this evening, our bus hit an Explorer truck that ran the light at the intersection of Linden and Third.
And though our driver tried her damnedest to avoid her, we hit that lady broadside and moved her and her truck through space and time! I was, of course, running my mouth with the woman across the aisle at the time, so I didn't *see* what was happening until we were fully into the process of crashing--and then my reaction was:

• "Car!";
  
• "Pole!" (the one my eye was getting ready to slam into);
• "Hand!" (as in put it in between that pole and my eye!); and
  
• "Where the *hell* are the seatbelts for buses?"

Then, as if this was happening in slow motion, we were sliding into that truck, and I looked around the inside of the bus at the other passengers [mostly to confirm that no one was barreling into me]: it began to dawn on me that this gonna hurt!! many of us.

But everyone was holding on tightly except this skinny guy in the middle of the bus who was calling on all sorts of Jesus' names and a few Goddamns and MF's to boot who swayed left, then right, then disappeared *under* his seat (but I think he was just scared, 'cause as soon as we were at a full stop, he jumped up, ran to the rear door and *rang the bell* to get off! Hee! fear and shock makes you do odd things...

We started to assess our personal damages (my eye, my cheek, my arm, my knee [damn! I just *fixed* that...] and when I asked if my eye was still in the socket, everyone confirmed it was--and then I was cool) and piled off the bus.

Everybody's staying clear of the truck, including the bus driver, who is trying to get everyone's confirmation that the accident *was not her fault*.

But I finally notice that *nothing* is going on at the truck, which has been pushed all the way over on the other side of the road from where we are gathered, and so I walk over to take a look.
Oh, man! it was bad: the driver, a woman about Mom's age was still at the wheel. The driver side door was crushed, so we couldn't open it.

Then I looked at her face: and the thing I thought was gonna happen to my eye, had happened to hers--I don't know where her left eyeball is! there was all manner of blood and her air bag had only partially inflated, so she hit the steering wheel *hard*--and something really bad was going on in her chest. I asked her if she could move at all--she said she could not, and I couldn't undo her seatbelt...and I pray to God that the horror that I feel is not showing on my tell all face, 'cause she's gonna know her chances are slim to none...

And that's when I got really scared and stopped fully functioning. I had the phone in my hands and had dialed 911, but couldn't remember what to do next.
and standing had became a real problem, 'cause of my knees going all weak. So I did what I do best: I started shouting orders out to everyone else in the immediate area and sat my butt down in the street.

We were fortunate to be a stone's throw from the EMS station, so help was there in no time. All the passengers were checked, many were taken to the hospital and after a lot of cutting, they were able to get the woman out of the truck and on route to the hospital.

I called Evelena who, thankfully, was home and came to get me and took me home, where I am now. My head still hurts, and I need to apply a few compresses, so I'm going to bed now. I tell you all of this so that someone will take the initiative to call *me* to find out if I wake up *tomorrow*.

And for those of you who may see me tomorrow, if my cheekbones seem somewhat ...asymmetrical... do me a big favor and don't say anything about it. :-))

and so another day ends where I have reason to thank Him for life,
~avis 102203