(UMD) the force was with us

i'm writing retrospectively to photojournal a terrifying close call on the way to day 1 of the wisdom course. i was running a bit late when i picked up my friend laurie, and we encountered lots of traffic getting out of town. i had been driving aggressively, but we were still going to be about 5 minutes late. we were nearly there, sitting at a traffic light, but tense because of being late. i made a comment about how we wouldn't be too bad off, though, because we'd made pretty good time despite the obstacles, then joked that now the only thing holding us up was the light, which could take 5 minutes. just then we heard a loud crash. i turned to see one car careening into the grassy median and another car careening towards me. i jerked back instinctively because it was heading straight into my door. laurie swears she felt an impact, but i'm sure that what she felt was just my jerking back. when the movement stopped, i opened my window and looked out to see the car two inches from mine. when i got out, that was when i saw the driver of the first (obliterated) car jump out, and the driver of the car that almost hit mine slumped behind the wheel. i panicked. there had been a passenger in the car with the slumped driver and she didn't know what to do. i felt completely helpless and frantic. i reached in the car and demanded laurie's phone and called 911, where i was put on hold. i held. and i paced. and i looked at the slumped driver and the traffic building up behind us. and i held. and i held some more. i was instructed not to hang up. people showed up on the scene - a nurse, campus police. finally after 8 minutes of holding for prince georges country 911, the campus police said an ambulance was on the way, so i hung up. since they didn't hit us, they told us we could go. it was strange to leave a scene where there was someone with a head trauma in and out of consciousness at the wheel and no one would answer 911. i felt angry. when laurie and i arrived at the hotel and started relating the story to others, that's when i realized how shaken i was and also how angry. so so angry. 8 minutes and no answer at 911? that person easily could have died. that's not OK.


too close for comfort.


driver in moments of dazed consciouness between slumps (my car on left)


the driver of this car hopped out. lots of fluids were flooding out of the various tanks.