Running head: NOT KILLED ONLY STRONGER
Not Killed Only Stronger
Ilderina Kajtezovic
Davenport University

Disappointment, disbelief and fear filled my mind as I lie on my side, sandwiched between the cold metal bar of the seat and hot slick plastic dashboard of the car. The warm sun was beaming on my left cheekbone. All I felt was a wriggle from my seatbelt, the force of the impact pulling me into the air bag and suddenly jerking me back into the seat. Motility from the seatbelt pressed down on my left shoulder with monster force. Not being able to move even an inch was a feeling, in which filled my body with fear, discourage and terror. In that same moment the right side of my body began to feel numb as if I had been holding it in a bucket of ice for hours. My lungs feeling shut not allowing air to neither enter nor escape my body. Lying there, watching cars pass by me, I cried for help, but my voice was unheard. Now all I felt I could do is just lie there and wait for help to come or slowly die.
“Buzz,” I hear the alarm clock trying to wake me up. I leaned over and hit the snooze button. Thinking to myself all I need is five more minutes. Knowing in reality those five minutes were not going to make a difference, either way I still needed to be at work in an hour. After the second buzz I finally woke up. Groggily sliding out of my warm comfortable bed, and slipping into the warm shower. I dragged myself into the shower slowly like a turtle. About fifteen minutes later, I finally decided to get out of the shower, I walked into my room to look into the closet. Getting my work clothes out and finally starting to get ready. Hair, make-up, getting dressed, I thought to myself “Oh my God I still have a lot to do but not enough time.” I had to be to work in forty-five minutes. I hurried up and threw myself together. I managed to get everything together in time. So far this was a normal morning routine for me. I was finally off to work.
Turning on my candy apple red Audi, hearing my engine roar like a lion as I turned the key. I rolled my windows down, and turned my music on blast, and I was headed down the road to work. I was feeling lucky that I didn’t run into any morning traffic. Headed southbound on Plainfield Ave NE. As I am passing Plainfield Ave and Elmdale Ave, I notice a sky blue Cadillac CTS in the turning lane; it looked to me as if he was getting ready to turn into the car wash. I didn’t pay much attention to the car because there was no doubt in my mind that he could see me coming. Therefore I continued to head southbound, just cruising. About ten feet before I reached the sky blue Cadillac, he made a last minute decision to turn right in front of me. Not being able to come to a complete stop. I felt our cars collide like bumper cars at the state fair. I felt my body immediately tense up, and slowly float off of the seat.
Opening my eyes, and not being able to move. My body floated off of the seat, not falling all the way down. Stuck halfway between the seat and floor of the car, feeling stuck like glue. I felt the force of the impact pull me into the air bag and the seatbelt jerking me backwards causing me to hit my head on the hard but warm glass of the window. I laid there for a few minutes until my mind could comprehend exactly what had just happened. Not being able to move, I tried to cry out for help but air failed to escape my lips. Gasping like a fish out of the water, I desperately lied there until help arrived.
Shortly after lying there I heard a voice, “Ma’am are you okay?” I tried to answer back but the words wouldn’t leave my mouth. My heart began to rapidly beat, my body feeling a slight relief that someone was actually there to help me. I felt his cold hands grab the back of my head. He firmly told me, “Don’t move your head it could make things worse, help is on the way.” All I could do was mumble back, “Mhm.” Sitting there idle as a statue, I calmly waited for the ambulance to arrive. The wait felt like a lifetime. Finally, I heard the ambulance coming to my rescue. The paramedics walked up to my once used to be shiny candy apple red Audi and at that time all I felt was numbness from the waist down. The two paramedics took me out on a long yellow hard stretcher, and put me in the back of the ambulance.
I was taken to Spectrum Health Emergency Room. The bumps and hills making my stomach turn upside-down a million times. Every bump the driver hit felt like someone was beating on me with a whip. Finally, we arrived at the emergency room, where they right away they did x-ray. After coming out of the x-ray room, anxiously waiting on the results of the x-ray in the small, cold room. My family members arrived; they were all scared, nervous and confused. Lying there in shock still, I began to get the feeling back in my legs. At that time all I could so was thank God for sparring my life. Waiting on the x-ray results was starting to feel like a minute was an hour and an hour felt like a day. Finally about forty-five minutes later I saw the doctor walking into the small cold room. His feet tapping on the smooth floor like the movie Happy Feet. He walked over to me and said with a smile, “I got the results.” I was so anxious, my body feeling a big rush of warmth. He pulled out the chart and rumbled happily, “It is nothing but minor bumps and bruises with a small left wrist fracture.” A relief swept my body. I put the biggest smile on my face, and all I could do was thank him and thank God.
I have learned through this experience how precious life really is, and how it should be handled with care. One’s life could be taken in a second. Now I know when I am in a car to not only make sure I am careful, but watch for the other drivers on the road as well. One little mishap can result in serious injury or even death. I am extremely lucky that I walked away with minor bumps and bruises. I will never forget lying in that car hopeless. Disappointment flooding my mind and all I could do is wait anxiously.