I don't know if I passed out, but I remember being hit. I don't remember getting to the other side of the intersection. There was a fire engine an ambulance, and at least half-a-dozen Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT) around my battered vehicle helping me get out. My driver side door was jammed shut, and I was not in such good shape either.
The EMTs got my car door opened and asked if I was feeling well enough to go home or needed to go to the hospital. I said I needed to go to the hospital. It felt like I had a couple broken ribs and would need an x-ray. My hospital is San Ramon Valley Regional Medical Center, so it was close by.
They pulled me onto a gurney and into the ambulance. Along the way The EMTs took my blood pressure and heart rate several times. They were gentle and efficient and reinforced my feeling that these guys are worth what we pay them because our lives are in their hands. We need capable, effective, people in these jobs.
I didn't expect to experience this service first hand so soon after writing my blog on Fire Chief Price's retirement, but when the grouches who complain about police and firefighter pensions are in a situation when they need these people to help them or their family, they should be glad we have such a well-trained and capable Fire Department here.
I was returning from my weekly Dentist's appointment to adjust the retainer to straighten my lower teeth. My Dentist, Dr. John Eberle, is on Crow Canyon Road near Staples. I could have driven home on San Ramon Valley Blvd., but I decided to drive up Crow Canyon to Alcosta and drive south on Alcosta.
Of course now all of the "if only" scenarios come up in my head – if only I had stopped at Staples, or picked up some cat food at Bishop Ranch Vet on the way home. I needed to deposit a check and could have gone down Bishop Drive to Bank of the West, but no I wanted to drive straight home on Alcosta Blvd.
One good decision I made was taking the Focus. I'm sure that car saved my life and minimized my injuries. I actually considered driving my Maverick because it had not been out of the garage for several weeks and it's not good to leave it undriven that long. There's almost no way I could have survived that crash in the Maverick.
I always liked that Focus, but it's not only designed to be a fun and economical car to drive, it has all kinds of safety features built in. I just paid it off at the end of last year and received the pink slip in the mail about a week before the accident. So my 100% owned car is now 100% totaled.
I was driving South on Alcosta and the person in the SUV was barreling down the Bollinger Hill at 40+ MPH. He T-Boned my car in the middle of the intersection. The driver's door crumpled in, so the space in the driver's compartment was mostly protected. The windows were all smashed, but there was no flying glass. It was all held onto the windshield and driver's side window like a mosaic. My sister said there's a film they put over the windows to keep the glass from flying around in an accident.
The side airbag against the drive's door deployed. I was surprised the one from the steering wheel had not, but I guess it works on sensors to trigger only the areas needed.
One of the EMT's asked if I hit my head. I didn't remember hitting my head and did not have any headache or pain there. So I'm sure that side airbag protected my head and my left shoulder and rib cage. The ribs along the back took most of the injuries.
A Police Officer came over after I was taken to the hospital to tell me the person who hit me had illegal substances in his vehicle and had been arrested a booked and sent to the County Jail. I was not at any fault.
I plan to write up my experiences with this accident in three or four parts. The Accident is Part 1. It's probably the weakest of the three parts, because I was the weakest when it happened. If anyone witnessed the accident, I'd like to know more about what happened. Next Week I shall be writing about my stay at San Ramon Valley Medical Center in Part 2.
