As I announced in an earlier blog posting, I failed to stop at a red traffic light and
was involved in a collision. Neither I nor the other driver involved were hurt, but
my car was totaled. The car that hit my car had minor damage. The only other
time I had been involved in an auto accident was thirty years ago in Boston when
a car speeded through a red light and and rammed into my car, totaling it. But this
time it was completely my fault. I didn't stop for a red light and travelled into the
path of traffic crossing at an intersection.
As the shock of the accident wore off, I tried to reconstruct from memory the
events leading up to the accident. Less than 15 minutes before the accident, I had
been in the dentist's chair having a tooth prepared for a crown. I was given an an-
esthetic. The dental work was not painful, but I was in the chair for over an hour as
the dentist did all that he needed to do for the crown. I was in my car on my way
home. I was not lightheaded or sleepy. I have always driven responsibly and honor
stop signs and traffic signals. I remember an instant of blackness and then watching
a car traveling in slow motion coming from my right and crashing into the front pas-
senger side of my car. Then things happened quickly: my hood buckled, the airbags
inflated, and steam poured from the engine. My car was turned by the oncoming car
so that I faced the direction of the one-way street that intersected the direction I was
going. I looked up and saw the green light turn to yellow and then to red. Then I
knew for sure I had run a red light.
Everything happened so rapidly after that. No one was hurt. The police responded
quickly and took control of the situation. A flatbed truck came and collected the
wreckage that was once my car, and dropped me off at my place. I reported the ac-
cident to my insurance and they took it from there. Progressive Insurance provided
me with excellent service. It took a couple of days -if not longer- to work through
the shock of the accident and what I had done. My major concern was that I might
have blacked out just before the accident. I was afraid that I might have to take my-
self off the road for fear of blacking out and causing serious injury or loss of life.
Shortly after the accident I went to see my doctor. My blood pressure was low and
my pulse was racing. I have been taking medication for high blood pressure. The
doctor made an adjustment to my medication. Everything else about my heart and
circulation checked out ok. I had been using a British prescribed high blood pres-
sure medication until just a few weeks before the accident. When I ran low, I had
my doctor here in the USA prescribe an equivalent US medication, which he did.
He saw that the British brand was not available in the US and substituted an Amer-
ican brand. It is not easy to translate the dosage for the British medication into the
right dosage for the US brand. I saw him two weeks later and my blood pressure
was spot on and my pulse normal. It is possible that I had low blood pressure after I
changed medication. The low blood pressure coupled with the anesthetic at the den-
tist might have set me up for a blackout. When I first visited the doctor after the ac-
cident, he recommended I purchase a blood pressure and pulse monitor, so I did. I
recorded my blood pressure and pulse readings for two weeks and showed them to
the doctor when I went back to him. He was quite pleased with the readings and
could not find anything of concern regarding my heart or circulation. I was relieved
that I had a good bill of health and could feel confident about driving.
My best bud Steve perceived the accident and the loss of the car as a divine wake
up call. I think he's right. The accident could have been serious with somebody
killed or injured. As a result of the accident I was made aware of my low blood
pressure. It shocked me out of a rut I had been in for several months and made me
take my life here more seriously. In a strange way God got my attention when I
had been growing somewhat complacent. As a result of this trying situation, I feel
much closer to God than I had been earlier in the year. It is a good place to be. I am
grateful to the Lord that no one was hurt in the accident, but wish I had not lost the
car. I really enjoyed the car. Meanwhile I continue onward and upward.
Blessings to you and yours,
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