Last night I was driving to my martial arts class and the road was wet and slick. I was on my blue tooth (hands free is the way to go) talking with a friend, in my little Nissan Sentra and doing about 60 MPH when WHAM! I got hit from behind, spun completely around and came to a stop blocking two lanes of traffic sideways. The only thing that went through my mind was a voice saying "DON'T BRAKE - POWER THROUGH THIS and HIT THE GAS, GET OUT OF THE ROAD", so I did what the little voice told me and made it to the side of the road safely.
On the side of the road the driver that hit me and I exchanged info. had a good conversation, talked with cops and thank G-D both of us drove away, him with minimal damage to his bumper and me with my back bumper and panel behind my wheel ripped apart.
For the rest - FOLLER' ME....
So I got into my car and nervously drove back home. My wife and kids are out of town skiing so I could not reach them. Anyway, thinking of not being alone after an accident and feeling ok but scared and shocked I went on Facebook, and figured I would talk with friends and if something was wrong, they could call 911. My FB friends (one of whom is Kossak Paul in Berkeley) convinced me to go to the hospital and get checked out. Turns out, so far, all I have is a strained neck. I hope that is all I end up with and nothing else "pops up" (which I don't think it will) in the next few days.
So now it's the day after and what did I learn that's worth passing on. Well for one thing... It is a miracle that I am still alive or not greivously injured. The Dr. in the E.R. when hearing about the accident, the speeds involved, conditions and so forth said flatly.."If you hadn't been wearing your seatbelt you might be dead". That decision to wear the seatbelt has been ingrained in me since it became law. I have to thank former CA - State Senator John Foran for that law. In a funny twist of fate one of his sons is one of my closest friends.
Now, I don't want to impose my religious beliefs on anyone else that is not the purpose of this. I do however, believe in G-d in a Jewish/Diest way. I really cannot explain how on a rainy night in a full spin, I knew to listen to that inner voice saying "don't brake, but accelerate when you stop and get the heck off the road" though my foot went for the brake, I stopped it and hit the accelerator instead. Some of you may attribute that to instinct, some to G-d's help (that is my personal interpretation) but whatever one attributes it too I made it to the side of the road and pulled off the Highway.
I can't imagine how lucky I was that no one hit me when my car was sideways, how other cars at 7:30 pm in the Bay Area were not involved, how I did not flip given the impact. There are no words to describe how I felt knowing that all this but for something, could have left my two young children (ages 7 and 6) fatherless. Having my mother alive to bury yet another son. I was lucky and I feel that now I need to give something back.
SO... that's what leads me to this diary. PLEASE FELLOW KOSSAKS be safe during the holiday season. My friends on Facebook, my family, my neighbors all supported me in this incident - watching out and caring. Even just their kind thoughts meant so much. I am not hurt (most likely), not even scratched... I have more injuries from doing Krav Maga than I got here (which laughably confused the doctors and had them worried wrt the accident).
Please when being out, put down the cellphone unless you have a blue tooth or some wireless device. PLEASE buckle your seatbelt. If not for yourself, for your family, friends, and people who love and care about you. Please be aware of your surroundings in inclimate weather - many others depend on you for their safety. Our actions all affect other people. Please don't cause an accident and deprive others of their loved ones because you couldn't be bothered to be safe.
I wish you all a safe, happy and healthy New Year. Please don't drink and drive, just put down the keys and spend the money for a cab or ask a friend who is sober to drive, or just crash on the couch of the party you are attending (if that is what you are doing). Please think on this when making that decision and please don't have the regrets that an accident brings.
Have a wonderful New Years so we can all be back here diarying and talking about the important things in world and knowing that there are people out there that care about our country and our lives.