I'm cleaning up some old files on the iMac tonight and came across my 'hit by a car' story... I don't think I've ever posted anything about that on my blog so here's what I wrote when it happened:
November 17, 2005, Thursday
What a crazy week it’s been. I am on the plane right now flying from Salt Lake to Seattle. I was supposed to come home Tuesday, but things changed. On Tuesday morning of this week I was walking to school for my eight o’clock math class. I was walking down the street and remember seeing my friend, Jeff, across the street and wanting to catch up with him so we could walk together. That is the last thing I remember until waking up with my head on the pavement and puddles of blood around it. I remember seeing a guy’s legs off in the distance, but never saw his face. I was hit by a car while trying to cross the street. Waking up, I was unsure what was going on, but somehow in the back of my mind I knew I was hit by a car. I remember the paramedics there strapping me to the stiff board and on to the cart bed to go in the ambulance. I remember the ambulance trip vaguely as the paramedics poked at me and seemed like I was never left untouched. I remember getting to the hospital and being wheeled into some room. There wasn’t much stuff in it and the whole time I was crying hysterically and I remember I was always holding my hands up kind of tight by my chest. In that room, they again, poked and prodded at me and put an IV in my arm also. From there I was wheeled into another room where I was moved from the wheel-bed to a table to be scanned all over to make sure I had no broken bones or unseen injuries. After that was finished they moved me back to the wheel bed and rolled me down the halls of the hospital. I remember vaguely seeing people standing around and staring at me as I was pushed down the hall, helpless. I was taken into another room where a doctor and nurse came in to check everything. I had some bleeding on my head so they decided to put staples in it. I remember the doctor telling me I’d have to have a couple and seeing the nurse get the numbing shot ready to the right of me. I felt a little pain as the needle went in my head, but don’t remember feeling anything after that. I just laid there in that room for a little bit while the people left. One nurse came in to clarify all my personal information, which she had gotten from my wallet which was in my backpack. Everything was good to go. A few minutes later a nurse came in talking about how I could call home or roommates or someone to come pick me up. She asked for my apartment phone number and said, “Hold On…” She handed me the phone. I was still crying hard so finding the words to talk was hard to do. I managed to get out “Who is this?” “Anna,” she said, followed by, “Gena? What’s wrong? Where are you?” I couldn’t answer any of her questions, as I was crying too hard. The nurse asked if I’d like her to speak and I nodded my head. She got on the phone, told Anna I had been hit by a car and would she come pick me up. Anna got there a few minutes later and sat in there a couple minutes while the nurse explained everything to her about what had happened. After that the cop, from the scene of the accident, came in and tried to explain to me what had happened. Although as shaken up as I was, I was hardly able to listen, let alone ask him the questions which he had hoped I might ask. He told me the guy who had hit me did stick around and was given two citations, one for not yielding to me and the other for not having his windshield cleaned off completely. He also said I was jay walking so that would have to be reported but I wouldn’t be given a citation. He told me I broke the guy’s windshield. He asked if I had any questions, and I said no. He said I could call at the end of the week to get a police report. After they gave me my shoes at the end of the bed, which I had to put on myself, and a few more minutes of explanation to Anna, we were ready to go. They put me in a wheelchair, handed me my backpack and the nurse wheeled me outside. We waited inside the doors as Anna got her car and pulled up. The nurse put me in the car and that was that at the hospital. From there we went to the student health center on campus. As we were driving there I asked Anna to call Kyler, my home teacher, to have him come to the apartment and give me a blessing. She used my phone and he said he and someone else would be there when we got home from getting my prescriptions. I had to go into the health center with Anna because they needed my signature. I signed and then went to sit down, but could hardly stand it. I laid across two chairs with my feet over the armrest. It was so miserable. When Anna got done at the counter she came to sit by me, but was worried she might get a ticket because her car was parked up close. She went to check on it, and I moved to the floor to lie on my stomach. As I tried to get as comfortable as I could I kept moving and turning, I saw a guy sitting in the chair to my right side… He looked frightened. I couldn’t say anything. Although, I wanted to say, “What’s wrong with you? I just got hit by a car.” Finally, my prescriptions were ready. Anna got them from the counter and we went back to her car. She opened the door for me and I climbed inside. We got to the apartment and as we walked in Kyler and Luke were waiting in the hallway.
If you did make it all the way through, congratulations. That was long.
I kind of talk about this jokingly now and don't really think of it as a big deal, but I guess at the time it really was. I didn't remember how shaken up I was about it. I am so grateful for those faithful young men, who were my home teachers at the time, who were there waiting and willing to give me a Priesthood blessing to heal. The effects from that accident could have been much, much worse, and I know I definitely had some guardian angels around me that day! The only visible scar I have from this is a real light one at the top of my shoulder. There's probably one on my head from the staples, but I'll never know.
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