This is not a tale of mechanophilia. This is my personal reminder of why one mistake on the roadway can spell dire consequences.

The day was March 24, 2021. I had been traveling from a family member’s home to my own residence. Part of my journey home involved driving on Illinois Route 6. 

As my vehicle made its way down the portion of Route 6 surrounded by woods and terrain, I simply lost focus of the driving task. Nobody knows how long I was “out of it,” because I sure don’t. When my attention refocused, I found myself across the center line and just a few feet away from the second-rearmost wheel of a semi-tractor trailer heading in the opposite direction.

Despite my efforts to correct myself, steel met steel as I collided with the trailer at about 50 miles per hour, give or take. As is the result of most contests between a semi and a 2005 Buick LaCrosse, my vehicle lost badly as I eventually spun out into a nearby ditch. It was my second at-fault car accident in a span of just over a year. I didn’t cry, but my insurance rates would’ve if they could.

After having a chance to understand the situation, my first instinct was the check on the other driver. Unfortunately, a crushed dashboard had other ideas as the collision had caused the dashboard to crush my leg. 

First responders took about 50 minutes to extricate me from the vehicle after removing the roof. It was not long after that I was taken by life-light to a major hospital to receive treatment. First time breaking a bone? Check. First helicopter ride? Check. A fun time? Not at all. The large dosage of fentanyl I received made it a little less unbearable.

By the time all was said and done, I had sustained multiple breaks in my left leg and foot and some scars on my left arm to boot. Two surgeries and months of physical therapy later, I’ve made a full recovery and one can now find me strolling around campus. 

The end result of the accident was likely one of the best-case scenarios as different timing would have likely resulted in my untimely demise at just 18 years old. The visible scars will always serve as a reminder that semi-tractor trailers are not a beast to tangle with on the roadways and will harshly reject those who cross their path.