Saturday, February 25, 2012

That Dreaded Phone Call

Mr. SIGIS and I had just finished a nice dinner at Texas Roadhouse last night and had stopped into our favorite watering hole on BAFB for a nightcap before heading home.  Not long into my first Sam Adams we received "the phone call."  That one all parents dread:

"Mom!  I've been in a wreck!"

It's my Teenager who really isn't a teenager anymore - he turned 20 last month. 

He's fine.

The car - not so much.

We quickly gathered our belongings and dash out to the car and I'm on the cell phone with him asking all the standard questions:  Are you hurt?  Is anyone else hurt?  Was anyone with you?  Are the police on their way?  You know.

He's in a panic, of course.  "I need you here NOW!  NOW!  Hurry!" 

Fortunately, Barksdale AFB is about five minutes from where he was.  We were there in four.  As we drive over the Red River bridge, I can see the sirens and flashers and hear the horn blaring.  I see John standing in the intersection, off to the side a bit, on his phone, "I need you NOW!"  I told him to calm down, I had him in my eyesight and we were going to park the car. 

Shortly after we got there the EMS and the police arrived.

Poor thing.  He was really shaken up, but physically okay.  Thank God.

He was following a friend over the bridge to another friend's house when someone made a left turn in front of him way too close for John to stop in time.  He slammed on the brakes and swerved but it was too close.  His driver airbag and the passenger airbag deployed and the driver's side window shattered.  The front end is not really crushed but definitely dented and bent.  The other car had a major crush on the passenger door.  Luckily nobody was hurt.

And me, all I could think about (after checking him over for injuries) was how in the world am I going to get this kid to school next week?  He drives about six miles across town to college every day.  True, this is not a huge problem, but you don't think clearly at times like this.

I'm so grateful for Mr. SIGIS who is retired law enforcement and knows how to keep a cool head about things and how to work a scene.  He dealt with the EMS and the police officers.  We got the car towed (I even gathered the presence of mind to get John's backpack out of it, because remember, I'm all focused on the school thing.)

I wish I'd had the presence of mind to take a picture of his little Ford Contour to show you, but pictures for the blog weren't exactly at the top of my list at the time.

One other blessing, besides John's escape from injury, was that two very kind ladies witnessed the accident and stopped to tell the police what they saw.  One of them said the fellow nearly hit her when he turned (four lane street), and the other said she saw John's back tires lift off the ground when he made impact.  OMG.

So grateful for them stopping to check on him and to talk to police!

After all was sorted out Mr. SIGIS insisted we take John to get checked out because he was beginning to feel the aches and pains.  We spent a couple of hours at the ER, got x-rays done, and all is well.  They gave him a little scrip for some pain meds and sent him home to bed.

Of course, today is Saturday and you can't get an insurance agent, find out where the car is, or get anything moving on this, so I had to call a sub and take Monday off to get this worked out. 

Meanwhile, today is Mr. SIGIS's birthday!  He's older than me now for seven months.  So, pictured above, instead of John's wrecked car, is our friend Red who gave him some birthday pie at breakfast this morning (at George's Grill.)

I'm counting my blessings today.

7 comments:

Bride Of Rove said...

Well thank god he's ok. Car can be replaced.

Pat Austin Becker said...

Amen to that.

Andy said...

Pat, I KNOW of what you blog.

#2 son (not #3 son that you taught...7 years older than Phillip) was working at Wendys on Old Minden Road while he was still a student at BHS. There was a very sweet old black lady he worked with that had taken him under her wing...

One afternoon she had to work late, and missed her bus. He offered to take her home in SHV.

That "dreaded phone call" came at about 1712 HRS to me. It was Ross, calling. "Dad, I've been in a wreck up here on I-20. Can you come get me?"

He told me where the wreck happened, and as God is my witness, I went up the Hamilton Road offramp the wrong way with flashers flashing, and the horn blaring, because I knew it would save me a minute...or two.

When I got there, I saw his beloved Eclipse smashed down to something like a pancake with an engine. Cops, EMS, Fire trucks, and a traffic back up close to Pines Road...

There were two young black ladies standing on the side of I-20 East just shaking as they finished telling the BCPD what they saw.

They were the ones that had called for help. One of them told me, "We saw it happen, and I just knew that boy was dead. I just couldn't pass on by. I'm a nurse, and I couldn't do that!"

While driving at roughly 60 mph, Ross' Eclipse had been clipped on the rear end by an 18-wheeler merging in to the Benton Road exit lane while heading East on 20. It was a short car, and I'm sure the son of a bitch driving that truck never saw it. He clipped the rear end of the Eclipse, causing it to spin three times in front of the 18-wheeler (according to the witness), and slam head-on in to the concrete barrier separating 20 East/West.

According to witnesses, the truck just took the Benton Road exit, and never looked back.

Bastard.

To shorten the long story, Ross was taken to LSU on the advice of BCFD. Nothing broken, nothing damaged, too much.

The only injury he came of that with was a huge bruise on his torso from his left shoulder down to his right hip.

I was ALWAYS one of those "Hell naw! I ain't wearing no seat belt!!!" guys.

Until then.

Never got in the car after that without buckling up.

NEVER.

Glad your boy's okay.

They should have stayed little.

All of 'em, dangit!

Pat Austin Becker said...

I know what you mean about seat belts, Andy. I was like that until a woman ran a stop sign on E. Kings (by the duck pond). She pulled right on out and I t-boned her going 45 on my way to work. I was not wearing a seat belt. I was in a little 1980 Ford Probe and I hit the windshield (concussion) and my hands went through the ac vents.

I was messed up big time, but still very lucky to be alive.

Never ever without a seat belt after that.

And let me tell you, that ER doctor read me the riot act about that seat belt and I've never forgotten it. Ever.

But when it's your baby...well, now, that's scary!

Mike Thiac said...

As I’ve said at many an accident scene when someone is upset about their car “This is what you pay insurance companies for...”

Thank God he’s ok and you got everyone checked out. Better safe than sorry.

pjMom said...

so thankful your son is ok, Pat

Beth said...

I am so happy that he is okay! I hope that the driver who caused the wreck was severely ticketed...