Came up to a horrible sight yesterday...

[JTalley]

I was on my way to work when I came upon the scene of a head-on collision. The ambulances weren't there yet, and it looked bad. Far off the side of the road was a second-gen Astro with the front pretty much gone. Sitting perpendicular to the street was my friend's car. Traffic was bad, and so many people were there trying to help that I would've only been in the way. I wasn't even sure if it was my friend's car at the time, because I know of one just like it here in town. Later on I found out it was them. My friend and his mom were turning left into a parking lot. A car turning left in front of them hid their view of the van coming from the opposite direction. They barely saw it before it hit them. They ended up spinning completely around, and the van went off the road, coming to rest either on or very close to a tall metal barrier in the parking lot; I was too far away to tell. Total of 14 people involved- my friend and his mom in their Focus, and 11 kids (including toddlers and smaller kids) plus a driver in the van. Apparently none of the kids were in car seats. It was only by a miracle that everyone was able to walk away with only scratches and bruises. The driver of the van didn't have a license, and was here illegally. I'm just glad everyone's alive and unharmed. It's times like these that you realize exactly how fragile life is, ya know? I could've lost one of my best friends, and those kids could've been hurt much, much more than they were.

Late last night I was up thinking about this. I very nearly started to cry, I'll admit that. It made me realize that I need to be more faithful... I need to watch what I say to people... Regret is one of the most powerful emotions.

Please, drive safe, everyone. Wear your seat belts. Please.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Sometimes a reality check brings us back to our senses and makes us remember to be thankful for what we have in family and friends. Glad your friend and his mom are ok. Also glad the kids in that van are too.

[doyoulikeithere]

I think that learning to think for one's self, rather than just following blindly, is a valuable lesson to have hopefully learned from this, and applied to every aspect of your life, not just driving.
Glad everyone is OK !! Drive with your eyes open and your attention focused!