I haven't posted a "Life Happens" update or Caregiver's Diary entry in a little while because, truth be told, outside of a few minor hurdles here and there, things had been humming along fairly smoothly at Casa Toldjah over the last few weeks for mom and me.
But as it does with everyone else, the black cloud eventually finds you again, which is where I found myself recently on what started out to be a relatively uneventful day.
It was a sunny day, and one where I needed to run a few lunchtime errands. I was pretty pleased with myself, having squeezed a comforter set and the two pillows that came with it into a box that was just big enough to work for the Amazon return I needed to make (I ended up finding something I liked more). I had a $65 refund coming to me, with which I was going to use to buy a few household essentials from Amazon that were cheaper than what I could get at the store.
SEE ALSO (VIP): Caregiver's Diary Part 81: Blissful Moments of Normalcy
My plan was simple: Kick it to the UPS store, make the return - something I have done many times over the last few years, then go pick up some lunch for mom and me and return home.
So I made it to the store. Normally, I park a little way away because the place is usually pretty busy, and it's hard to get out of the front spaces. But I decided to pull into a parking spot close to the front entrance because my package was a little bulky and hard to carry, and I didn't want to walk across the parking lot to get it inside.
I was going at a slow rate of speed when I pulled into the spot, with my foot already on the brake to stay slowed down so I could put my car in park. Once I thought I had settled in the spot, I pushed on the brake pedal a little more to come to a complete stop, so I could put it in park.
Instead of stopping, my car accelerated. Despite pushing on the brake pedal as hard as I could, I had no control over it. It jumped the sidewalk curb, with the front left corner bumper smashing into the glass door of the UPS store, wedged between the brickwork that was part of the door framing.
I was, of course, in a state of absolute shock. But, praise God, I wasn't hurt. And there had been no customers coming in and out of that door at the time, which was another blessing because I was there at one of their busier times of the day.
There was also no structural damage to the building. My car swiped the brick wall and left paint/scrape remnants, but the only damage was to the glass door, which had that starburst cracking look. In retrospect, I feel like that was some pretty strong glass to have withstood that hit without breaking open. Then again, that neighborhood is not the greatest, so they probably have industrial strength glass for the door.
The owner of the store came out, and the first thing he wanted to know was if I was okay. Several other people came around to ask as well. I told them I was, but that I needed to collect myself and sit down. I managed to get a few pictures of what had happened, as did the owner, before he showed me inside and let me have a seat. Moments later, after I remembered to apologize for what happened, he offered me a water. A few minutes later, I gave him my insurance information. About 15 minutes after that, the police arrived to see what had happened.
Both the owner and the staff of that store were extremely gracious to me that day. I know they were worried about the damage, but they also made sure I was holding up, as I ended up staying there for several hours while I waited for AAA to get there with a tow truck, because I didn't want to try to drive the car, as I assumed there was a brake issue. My sister also came to my rescue, too, and at a later point, I sat in her vehicle with her until the truck finally showed up.
The owners of the business next to the UPS store also came over to assist the tow truck driver, as the removal of the car was tricky with the way it was situated on the sidewalk. They were able to pull it away without further damaging the car or the glass door, enabling the tow truck driver to load it and take it to the shop.
I had a comprehensive inspection done on it late that afternoon, to check for brake issues, anything that might have caused it to accelerate despite the fact that I had my foot on the brake. They didn't find any issues along those lines, so after I had them fix a few minor things they recommended the next day, I went to get my car to drive it home.
I was scared out of my mind to drive it, not knowing if I'd have another issue, so I took it really slow. It was triggering for me as I was (and still am) having flashbacks to those feelings of helplessness and terror over the 15 seconds or so where I couldn't control my car.
FLASHBACK (VIP): The Impeccable Timing of My Latest 'Life Happens' Moment
But I made it home okay, thank God. And the car will sit in the driveway until I figure out what, if anything, I want to do about the bumper, and if I should take it to a dealership for a more in-depth look, since my car is not one that has ever been subjected to a recall for something called forced acceleration. Fortunately, we have Mom's car, which I drive most of the time anyway.
Now comes the part where insurance will come into play regarding the damages to the store. And while I hope that process goes pretty smoothly, I'm also still processing the "life flashing before my eyes" feeling, and have concluded that the building probably saved my life. Because had I been on the road and braked, but my car decided to accelerate instead, I shudder to think what would have happened.
I've hugged mom a lot and said "thank you" to Jesus over and over again for no one being hurt, and for all the heroes and angels who helped out and watched over me and everyone around me that day at the store. Things could have been so much worse, but they weren't, because I'm here to tell the story, as are the people at the store who took care of me when all I wanted to do was find a quiet corner and cry.
