I just got home a little while ago because I was out of town today bringing the Saab to a friend’s house for indoor winter storage. After a nice drive out to the country followed by a relaxing GO train ride back to town reading a sad graphic novel about canine cosmonaut Laika, I was walking home from the subway. At Bloor and Dundas when the light changed to “walk” I began crossing and a moment later, literally two feet in front of me, an SUV comes flying through the red light. Barely after entering the intersection it struck the front of the car that was driving past me on my left with a loud bang. The collision was close enough that if I’d reached out my arm I could have touched the point of impact from where I stood. A second later there was an even bigger bang when the SUV, continuing perpendicular across the flow of traffic, struck a second car in the other direction’s lane of traffic, hitting the car square in the driver’s side door. Then both the SUV and this second car smashed into the corner across from me, with the car also striking the telephone pole. The SUV driver stumbled out but I’m not sure how badly hurt the driver of the other car was — possibly quite badly.
If I was not walking slowly, walking with a cane, I might have been a few feet further into the crossing by the time the careless driver did his dirty work and almost certainly would have been struck at the SUV’s highest speed of the accident, crushing me between it and the first car it hit. Then maybe the fat lady who started crying with her mouth agape while watching it might have had something more obvious to power her sobs. Maybe I can add this to my short list of good things this disease has done for me along with my handicapped parking permit. But seriously universe, don’t you think I have enough brushes with death? At least life is interesting.
8 Comments
Sometimes what we curse is what saves us. You must also have some good karma built up.
What does the woman’s weight have to do with her reaction to a really bad accident?
the future is the undiscovered country
Sue – Nothing that I can think of. It has to do with painting a picture of the scene. I realize some people are of the opinion that it is a faux pas to mention what a person’s physical shape is when you describe them but I am not of that opinion. I don’t think I slandered her simply by describing her.
A little adrenaline every now and then is good for you.
It struck me as a somewhat hostile depiction of the woman as well, because you mention not just that she is large or overweight but “fat”. You also seem to be saying she shouldn’t have been crying? I know you were very unhappy when you were overweight, maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, I am glad you were unhurt!
She was a comical character. She was a block away from the accident so she can’t have even seen it with any detail. She was more of a cartoon character that went into shock at the sound of thunder. I’m not saying concern isn’t warranted at an accident, but a complete emotional breakdown due to a loud noise? Not so much… So maybe I am slightly negative toward this person, but definitely it is not a general-purpose attack on people who have trouble avoiding obesity.
BTW, I would not characterize myself as “very unhappy” when I was at my heaviest, only aware that I should probably get my health in check before it was too late, which I did. I definitely never burst out in tears at loud noises or anything like that…
If you didn’t have trouble walking you probably would’ve been 5 blocks past the accident when it happened and you wouldn’t even have heard the crash…
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[...] and you know how I was almost caught in the middle of a three car collision a few nights ago when some asshole came flying through the red light? Well today when I was crossing that exact same intersection the same craziness almost happened [...]
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