Four Car Collision
 

November 9, 2001

I was driving down the 54 Highway right where three lanes go to one. This is always a confusing area and each time I told anyone about WHERE it happened they always say that's the WORST area on that specific highway. What gets me is the fact that I lived up near Los Angeles for half a year and NOT once did I have an accident. I drove up to Ventura County and Los Angeles a lot too. *sigh*   

So it happens. I drove up behind a little Toyota Corolla, who happened to be right behind a Black Jeep, coming to a stop since there was lots of traffic around 5:25pm. I noticed this car that came up behind me pretty fast. I did have this eerie feeling. That one that creeps behind you in the mirror like.. wait, he could have hit me just now from coming up and stopping so quickly. Ignoring the thought I noticed the small Toyota car in front of me driving up a bit. I took my foot off the break and let my truck roll behind her. Just then she stops abruptly so I stop in time, as I stopped I looked in the rear view mirror and about a minute later I see that same car not looking like it is going to stop behind me. 

As soon as I saw that car coming everything started moving in slow motion. Then out of no where I am being shoved into the lady in front of me only seconds later. I heard a shattering sound, then a gush of wind blowing at the back of my neck. It felt like I was in a complete dream from this slow motion action going all around me. My stereo flopped on the ground from the impact. I sat there looking forward and noticed the Jeep in front of the little car in front of me and the little car behind me... this couldn't really be happening to me. 

No one moved in their cars for at least 5 minutes so it started to scare me for a while there. I felt maybe the girl in front of me was in shock but since she wasn't even moving around in her car I started thinking... was she dead? or crushed in her car? I finally went to get out of my car and the guy behind me jumped out and asked me if I was ok. Then he started asking me if I knew Spanish. I didn't so it was hard to understand what he was saying about his keys. I found out later he was trying to tell me he locked his keys in the car when he went to see if everyone was ok. hehe. So... he had to walk over to bushes near the highway to grab a rock to shatter his car window so he could open his car door.  The police drove up to the scene only 5 minutes later. I was relieved to see them. 

So today (Friday) after work I went down to get an estimate on the damage done to it. The girl said there was about $2,000 worth of damage because the alignment of the truck is off now. The whole truck's frame bed/box may have to be replaced. :(   All I know is that my front bumper wasn't too bad because I was pushed into the littler car in front of me but my back end doesn't look too bad either. This puzzled me because the impact on how hard I was hit could have given me whiplash.  The look of it on the outside looks fine compared the the guy who rammed us into each other. He was crumpled in at least a few feet from what I noticed. The girl who did the estimate today did say that trucks are much different than cars to notice the damage so they are definitely going to have to look underneath to be able to see the real damage. I have to go back to that same shop on Monday morning to get them to look underneath. Chances are there may be more damage than it looks like there is.

Here's some pictures:

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