Tag Archives: accident

A Drunk Driver On My Street (or Meeting Some Neighbors After 9 Years)

I’ve lived in my house for just over 9 years now. I love where I live and my neighborhood. I know the other people who live on the same property as me because we look out for each other. If we see someone walking up the driveway that we don’t recognize, we are on high alert. I love our little community and how much we care for each other.

But I don’t really know other neighbors on my block. I knew one neighbor who lived a few buildings over because I babysat for them, but I have no clue if they still live there and that’s only 1 person out of so many on the block. I’m sure this is how it is for a lot of people, and it never felt that odd for me. But that changed this past Saturday night.

I was home about to get ready for bed when I heard a very loud rumbling noise. At first I thought it might be an earthquake because sometimes you hear them before you feel them. But this noise wasn’t quite that. And right after the rumbling noise started I heard screeching, crunching, and finally some car alarms going off. There was no question that there was a car accident on my street and I was terrified what might have happened. People tend to drive well over the speed limit and I know that it’s not as safe as it should be. Since I hadn’t gotten ready for bed just yet, I was able to quickly put on some shoes and grab my phone and keys to go outside.

When I walked down my driveway, I saw a car that had all the airbags deployed in the middle of my street diagonally. The front of the car was crumpled and I couldn’t tell if the driver was ok. Dozens of my neighbors in other buildings were on the street too since it woke up most people who were already asleep. Other neighbors called 911 and I decided to focus on the driver to see if they were ok or needed help.

Before I was able to get to the car the driver was able to get out. He was stumbling around and at first I thought maybe it was due to the accident. Quickly my neighbors and I realized that he was drunk. I hate drunk drivers and I find it an incredibly selfish and irresponsible thing to do, but I had to put those feelings aside and try to get the driver to get somewhere safe and to turn his car off. The car was leaking a lot of various fluids and we didn’t want the car to keep running in case it ignited things.

The driver was arguing with us a bit when we asked him to please sit down or turn his car off. He was very confused what happened and I was starting to wonder if he had no idea he was in an accident. I noticed at that point that there were 5 or 6 cars with major damage on the street that he hit. Again, my anger had to be pushed down because I knew that safety was the priority. The driver didn’t want to turn off the car, but when he got out of the car to argue that he needed to see the damage I took a chance and got into his car, turned it off, and grabbed the keys. I then was worried that he might get upset when he realized I had his keys, so a male neighbor took them because he was more conformable with a standing up to him.

We finally got the driver to sit down on a curb so he didn’t fall too far if he was going to pass out and then I think all of us on the street started to actually see the damage and realize what happened. I started talking to some of the neighbors and we were able to figure out that everyone who had their car damaged was out there and they knew about it. At that point, there wasn’t much to do besides wait for the police to arrive. So we continued to talk among ourselves while making sure the driver didn’t move.

The fire department arrived first and once they got there they started to check out the driver. All of us were talking about what was happening or what to do. I started to talk mainly with one neighbor who lives in the building across the street from me who had the car with the most damage. As horrible as the accident was, it was kind of like a bonding opportunity for all of us on the block. Most of us didn’t know each other and we quickly learned quite a bit about who we lived near.

When the police arrived, I thought maybe the night would be over soon. They had arrested the driver and it was already close to 3am. I was exhausted, but I wanted to make sure things were ok with my neighbors before I went to bed. And I guess it ended up being a good thing that I stayed out there because while the police were getting statements from the people who had damage to their cars, they started to ask who took the car keys from the driver. I was worried that I was in trouble or something, but fortunately that wasn’t the case. First, they wanted to thank me for doing that so that he had no way to potentially cause more damage (although his car was totaled and couldn’t move). They also wanted to interview me for a witness statement about what I saw and did. While I didn’t see the accident happen, I was able to explain what I heard and what I saw when I was outside.

By the time I was done giving my statement, most of the neighbors had returned to their homes. It was so late (or early in the morning if you want to think of it that way) and people wanted to go to bed. And I could have gone to bed then too, but the neighbor I had been talking to the most was waiting on a tow truck. He wasn’t able to get his car towed anywhere because it was the middle of the night, but because of the impact of the accident his car had been pushed into someone else’s driveway and it had to be moved. We couldn’t push the car back because of the damage and a tow truck was the only option.

So I hung out with my neighbor and we had a really nice talk. We didn’t talk too much about the accident because we wanted to talk about more entertaining topics. He was telling me about his house and the remodel that he is doing. He talked about his kids. And I talked about acting and random things that happen in life. Finally a tow truck came and by the time his car was in a legal parking spot again it was about 5am. My neighbor and I both headed back to our homes then but I did make sure he had my contact information in case he needed it for his car insurance and because we really hit it off as friends over the course of the night.

This accident was a horrible thing, but it could have been so much worse. Nobody was hurt. I don’t think the driver was even hurt at all. Yes, multiple cars were totaled and that’s upsetting, but that’s just property damage and cars can be replaced. And while I hate that it took an accident like this to bring my neighbors and I together, I’m glad that it did happen and we got to learn about who we live around. Almost everyone who was out there that night was trying to help and make sure everyone involved was ok before they left. And while there were a few people out there who decided to yell at the driver and call him names, the rest of us were able to get them to stop. I understand the frustration, but it was not necessary.

I’ve written about not drinking and driving on here before and this is another reminder of it. I don’t know why this driver decided to do it, but it was the wrong decision. There are so many other options to get home if you are not safe to drive. Even if you are worried your car might get towed, paying to get your car out of an impound lot is cheaper than getting out of jail and dealing with the aftermath of a drunk driving accident.

Supporting A Friend (or Another Story I Haven’t Talked About Before)

This past Saturday evening, I drove into Hollywood (which I hate to do on weekends) because a friend of mine was screening his film.

The film is “The Sublime And Beautiful” and it is written by/directed by/starring Blake Robbins. I have gotten to know Blake a bit. He was a guest on the podcast I work for so I know a lot about his story. It was awesome to get to see him again and to watch his film on the big screen.

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I’ve also seen the film before. Without giving much away, the film deals with the aftermath of a drunk driving accident (not caused by the main character).

This film is truly incredible to watch. I highly recommend everyone sees it. It is currently screening through this week in LA, but you can see future screening dates on their website.

But for me, this film has another meaning.

When I was 6, I was involved in a drunk driving accident. My brother and I were being driven by our babysitter. My parents had been on a vacation and we were going to surprise them at the airport. We made a quick stop at Taco Bell for dinner (this was the first and last time I ate at Taco Bell). And then we were off to the airport.

I was sitting in the back with my brother and our babysitter’s dog Pierre. We were trying to make Pierre sit in the middle seat and wear a seatbelt when a drunk driver ran a red light and slammed into our car.

I know that some people might not think that you can remember something really well from when you were 6, but I remember so much from the accident. I remember the sound that the car made as it was hit. I remember screaming to my brother to duck and cover because I was so sure that this was an earthquake (the 1989 San Francisco quake was the year before and clearly that stuck out in my head). I remember how it felt like forever before the car stopped moving.

Another car stopped and came to help us. They got my brother and I out of the car and someone waited with our babysitter who was up in the front. I don’t remember how they found Pierre, but I learned later that by my brother and I trying to make him wear a seatbelt, we probably saved the dog’s life. If his foot hadn’t gotten caught in it (and made him hit the door of the car), he probably would have gone through the windshield.

The paramedics came quickly (or at least it felt quickly to me). Our babysitter was on one backboard and my brother and I shared another. As the paramedics were taping our heads to the backboard, I remember screaming at them that they had to take us to Kaiser because that’s where my dad worked and that’s what our insurance was.

At the hospital, my brother and were checked out and we were both fine. My brother had a cut lip and I don’t remember any injuries for myself besides bruises. Our babysitter was hurt a bit more, but she was fine.

It seems like in most car accidents, the drunk driver lives and the victims in the other car die. In our accident, the drunk driver died.

I know that I should feel horrible that someone died, but I just remember hearing from someone (I’m not sure who said this to me) that we were lucky that that is how the outcome was. Not only did we live, we did not have to go through a trial with the drunk driver. Now that I’m older, I occasionally think about the drunk driver (whose name I don’t even know) and what their family must have gone through. Even though they did something wrong, their family still lost a loved one.

If you haven’t been personally affected by drunk driving, you are so incredibly lucky. To this day, I will almost never drink if I have to drive. And if I do drink, I usually make sure that I only drink one and that I have at least 2 or 3 hours before I have to drive. I’d rather be over-cautious than to have a horrible accident happen.

The story in “The Sublime and Beautiful” is heartbreaking to watch, but I feel like it is something that everyone should see. Maybe if more people saw how doing something so stupid could affect so many people, they would think twice about drinking and driving.

Life Updates (or Some Of What’s Going On)

Today, I’ve decided to update you all on a couple of little things going on in my life.

First of all, the most recent car accident I’ve had. I haven’t gotten my car fixed, or even gotten an estimate. I’m hoping to do that sometime in the next few weeks. I haven’t decided if I’m going to fix it at all. It doesn’t look horrible, and right now I don’t have the money for the deductible (I could get it together in time, I just don’t know if that’s a priority for me right now).

Also, I’ve finally decided what I’m going to wear to my brother’s wedding. I’m nowhere near the weight loss goal I had for myself, but that’s ok. The wedding is in Hawaii, and it’s black tie optional. I don’t want to wear a full length dress, so I’m going to wear the same dress that I wore to my friend Marie’s wedding last year in Texas. The dress is fancy and I think the color is tropical. Here’s a little picture of it.

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I still need to figure out what I’m wearing for the rehearsal dinner and need to go out and buy another bathing suit (I only have 1 right now), but I’ve got some time to get those done. At least the most important outfit for the trip is figured out.

I also wrote about how I have a black thumb a while back. I’ve been trying really hard to not kill my plants this time. I think I’ve succeeded in not killing my plants (yet).

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I sent this photo to my dad, and he thinks that it looks like the plants are thriving. Hopefully they will still look this good when he comes to visit me in the fall.

And finally, a long overdue update. I said last year that I was thinking of getting rid of cable. I kept my cable but tried to only watch my shows through Hulu, Netflix, and the internet. And while it worked for many of my shows, it just wasn’t a good solution for them all. In order for me to do my research, it would get to be pretty difficult to not have cable and a DVR.

But I am trying to expand my shows to be things that don’t air on traditional TV. I had yesterday off (there was an awards show filming at my work and it wasn’t safe for us to be there), and I watched all 13 episodes of “Orange Is The New Black”, which is a Netflix original series. If you haven’t watched this show yet, start now! It’s amazing! It might be one of the best shows on tv (and it’s pretty much an all female cast which is amazing and pretty much unheard of).

So that’s what has been going on in my life. I’m feeling pretty reflective as I’m coming to the last week of my 20’s. I’ve been looking back at some photos and just thinking about how much I changed over the last decade. And how so much will change again for me in this next decade. I know I’m probably sounding very sappy, but big birthdays will do that to a person. And when I turned 20, I had no idea that I would be in the place that I am now. So my imagination has been going wild thinking of the possibilities that could be when I’m looking back at my 30’s ten years from now.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me?!?!?!?! (or It Feels Like “Groundhog Day”)

Remember me wishing that car accidents wouldn’t be an annual thing? How about not wishing that car accidents would be a weekly thing?

Yup. I got into another accident. And before you think of me as a horrible driver, the accident last week involved someone backing up into me. So unless I could see the future, it was pretty hard to avoid that one (and it was not my fault at all).

This time, I was trying to merge lanes and a driver sped up to avoid letting me in. So I ended up tapping the rear bumper of their car. Sadly, my car got most of the damage. It’s not bad, but it’s not pretty.

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The woman from the other car insisted on getting the police involved, but the officer didn’t write up a report.

I planned on handling this outside of insurance. The other driver had a small scratch on her rear bumper, so I figured it couldn’t be too expensive to fix (it was a car similar to mine, not super fancy). But when she called me later that day to tell me how much it was, the estimate from the only shop she was willing to go to was over $1,000. I would also have to pay for her rental car, which almost doubled the cost she quoted me. She also mentioned possibly needing new tires after the accident and getting her lawyer involved.

All of this was a little too much for me to handle on my own, so I’m going through my insurance now (that’s what they are there for, right?). I eventually want to get my car fixed, but my deductible is $500 so I need to save up for that. I think I can save it up by the time I go to the wedding, so if I get my car fixed then, I won’t need to worry about a rental car (my insurance will only pay 80% of the rental fee).

The only funny thing about this entire incident was when I was talking with the police officer. I mentioned how any minute, my boss would be driving by (the accident occurred on the freeway off ramp closest to my work) and he would most likely be laughing at me. And as soon as I said that, my boss drove by, and yes, he was laughing (in his defense, he says he wasn’t laughing at me but just smiling nervously).

I’m hoping that this accident is the last bit of bad luck that I have for a while. I feel like I’m due for some happy things now.

Hit and Run (or I Don’t Want Car Accidents To Be An Annual Thing)

Again, not a post I was planning on writing today, but things happen and I wanted to vent on here.

You may remember that last year, I was in a car accident the week of my birthday. That sucked, and my car actually had to be towed away.

And yesterday, I got in another car accident. But this time, it was pretty different.

I had work in Santa Monica yesterday. I actually made pretty good time getting there, so I decided to run a quick errand before heading into work. As I was leaving the parking lot, another car decided to back out at that time and they backed into me.

As soon as I felt the impact (and it felt pretty big for a very low-speed accident), I put my car back into a parking space and ran out to talk with the other driver. Well, that driver decided that they didn’t want to talk to me.

I went over to their car and said, “Excuse me but you just hit my car”, but either she didn’t hear me or chose to ignore me (I think it was the second one). She drove away, but fortunately someone who was walking out of the store was able to get the license plate for me.

I got back into my car and called the non-emergency police line. Since I had to be at work, the police agreed to come to my work to get my statement (it was actually a fun distraction at work having a police officer in our trailer).

The police officer was actually pretty awesome. He was nice and was willing to hear all of the crazy details I remembered from the accident (like how the license plate frame said, “Warning, My Mother Is Driving”).

Part of the accident report was getting photos of the damage.

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As you can see, it’s super minor damage. If the driver had stopped to talk to me, I probably wouldn’t have done anything. But since they technically fled after an accident, I wanted to report it.

Long story short (or shorter at least), when the officer went to interview the other driver (who was very easy to find since I got so much information about her car), she denied everything. She said that I wasn’t there when she backed out and that I made everything up. And when the officer went to look at her car, there was no damage (but there was an area where the dirt was wiped off that most likely occurred when she hit me). Since the accident took place on private property, there isn’t too much the police can do for me.

So what do I do now? Besides cursing at my bad car luck, the next step is to wait for the police report. It should be available for me in 10 days, and in it is the officer’s statement that although the other driver denied  anything happened, he believes that I’m the one telling the truth. I can use this report in case I chose to go to the other driver’s insurance to collect damages (the report will have the other driver’s info since I didn’t get it when the accident occurred).

So that was my Monday. Pretty exciting, huh? If nothing else, I got to freak out my co-workers when a police officer came to our work trailer asking for me. I don’t know if I’ll try to get my car fixed (since the other driver is denying everything, I will most likely have to civil sue her to get the money). So my car will have to show its battle scars for a while.

And hopefully, I will not have another incident in my car for a very very long time.

I’m Tired (or The Day to Day Struggles)

I’m really tired. Physically tired, emotionally tired, and mentally tired.

I’m physically tired for a few reasons. One is that I haven’t slept well in a few weeks. I had previously posted this picture of my alarm clock in my bedroom:

Little did I know that that would be one of the cooler nights in my room. Since the 10th, it has not been below 86 degrees in my bedroom when I have gone to bed. Most days, it’s in the low 90s. I know that by being heavier I get warm easier, but I don’t know too many people who can sleep soundly in a room that is 90 degrees. I don’t have a good solution for this problem. My house is locked up all day when I’m at work and I don’t want to stay up too long trying to cool it down. I’m just hoping the heat wave is over soon.

I’m emotionally tired because I’ve had a few ups and downs over the past few weeks. I was so excited for my birthday, and then I get into the car accident. I was happy to get my car back, and now I’m stressed out more than I should be about going to the dentist and dealing with my new dental insurance (if anyone uses the standalone SAG-AFTRA Guardian dental insurance and has advice, please let me know). I have a horrible fear of the dentist. I make myself so nervous that he’s going to tell me that all my teeth are in horrible condition and they all have to have crowns or be replaced. I’m normally ok when I just go to see the dental hygienist (she’s very nice and understands my fear), but on Thursday, I have the double whammy appointment: see both the dentist and the hygienist. I’m getting x-rays, an exam, and a cleaning. And then I have to calm down somehow after that to go to work.

And my work is another thing that is making me tired. Don’t get me wrong, I’m so incredibly grateful for my job. It got me out of a job situation that wasn’t working for me anymore and I’m making 2 to 3 times what I made at my old job. But working 6 days a week is starting to get to me a bit. At first, I didn’t really notice it. Fridays and Saturdays are half days, so I have all afternoon to get stuff done. But only having one full day off is starting to be tough. I pretty much always have to do laundry and grocery shopping that day. And I try to work out that day too. And after all the cleaning, shopping, and working out; it seems like my Sunday is over. I’ll have some 2 day weekends soon. I believe we get Labor Day off and in late September my dad is coming to visit me so I’m taking a Monday off of work. There is an off season for this job, but it’s unknown when it will start. Originally, the job took a hiatus in November and then again after the new year, but now we might go straight until January or February.

I know I sound like I’m complaining, and I am. But sometimes you have to just put this stuff out there in order for it to be out of your head. I’m really trying to focus on all the positives in the tired situations. Even though it’s hot in my room now, the heat wave in LA is ending soon. Even though I’ve had a bunch of emotional ups and downs, I have my car back now and by about this time on Thursday the dentist visit will be over. And even though working 6 days a week is tough, I have an awesome job that is allowing me to pay down my debt much faster than I previously had.

Hopefully these ideas will keep me feeling energized and not tired soon.

Fear of Failing (or How My Car Accident and Weight Loss Are Related)

As I mentioned last week, I was in a car accident. I was hit while exiting my driveway, something that I do every single day. And ever since the accident, I’m so nervous when I’m leaving my driveway or making any type of turn into a new lane of traffic.

I’ve had this happen to me before. In 2005, I was rear ended twice within 30 days. Once on the freeway and once on Sunset Blvd. After those accidents, I would always watch in panic as the car behind me slowed down to a stop, hoping that I wouldn’t get hit again.

Last night, I was leaving the shopping center where I got some dinner at Subway and turned right into the street. I was panicky as I turned because even though I couldn’t see any cars coming, what if there was one without lights on, or that was speeding, or that pulled into traffic before I did. I hate this feeling, but I know that it’s what makes me a safe driver.

After I turned into the street, I realized I have the same feelings about losing weight. I did the losing weight part successfully many times. I’ve lost over 100 pounds multiple times. I’m just a failure at keeping the weight off. I’m so scared of failing again that I’m panicky about doing it again.

I’m so tired of being a disappointment to myself and the people who love me. I want to be successful. But I have to be ok with failing again in order to try. And that’s one of the mental blocks I’m in right now.

Since starting this blog, I’m down about 3 pounds. I fluctuate a lot, but when you average out the week, it’s 3 pounds lost. To some people, that might seem amazing, but when I think about what little percentage that is of what I have to lose, it’s overwhelming. I think that I should have lost 10 pounds by now. And that’s what society sets us up to think. So many diet plans talk about how losing 2 pounds a week is a good way to go.

But should I feel like crap because I’ve only lost 3 pounds instead of 10? I know that the answer is no, but I’m still trying to convince myself of that point.

My New Driver License (or It’s the End to That Cliffhanger)

I had previously blogged about having to get a new driver license and a new picture to go with it. I was nervous how the new picture would look because I actually loved my old picture.

Yesterday in the mail, I got my new license, and I have to say, the picture isn’t too bad.

I’m happy I’m smiling and I don’t look like I’m mid sneeze or anything. I did find it weird that it looks like I have full bangs when I only have side swept bangs, but I’m super happy with my hair color (thanks to my friend Erin who does my hair).

I’m so glad that I’ve gotten my photo and I can stop stressing about what the picture would look like. Right now, I’ve got a lot to focus on with getting everything taken care of from the car accident.

Just to update you all, my car is in the shop and they’ve started to take my car apart to find everything that needs to be fixed. I got a rental car, but I’m switching to a new rental car because my current one smells like cigarette smoke. And I’m feeling bruised and sore, but all my bruises seem to be deep so my skin isn’t black and blue. That’s something I’m happy about because I don’t want to spend my birthday looking like I got beat up!

Crash (or This is Totally Not What I Was Planning On Writing About)

I had a whole other blog idea for what I wanted to have up today.

And then I got into a car accident yesterday.

They say that most accidents occur within 5 miles of your home. My accident happened 5 feet from my home.

I’m fine. The accident was on the driver’s side, and I was lucky that the other car hit me on my tire and not my door. Besides some bruising, I’m ok.

My car isn’t ok.

It’s a little hard to tell in the picture, but my bumper got screwed up, my light got smashed in, and my tire is tilted (either from the axle or tire rod breaking). My car isn’t drivable, so it was towed away and I’m waiting to hear from my insurance company about how long I’ll need to have a rental car (and I need to still get my rental).

I know I might sound like a baby, but this sucks. I know that worse things are happening around me. A friend of mine just lost her best friend to brain cancer. Clearly, she is going through something much worse than me. But right now, I’m selfish. I hate that someone hit my car (and I really believe that they were at fault even though I was coming out of a driveway)

I hate that this is how my birthday week is starting. I am very grateful that nobody was hurt in the accident, but I can’t help but go through a million “what ifs” right now.

What if I had left 5 minutes sooner (or later)? What if I was able to step on the gas and get away from the car coming at me? What if they or I had a different car and no damage was done? What if there were witnesses so I could feel better that I will not be at fault?

So today, I’m going to try to focus on getting the what ifs out of my head, stop being selfish, and just be grateful that I’m ok and that I have really great insurance.