My Worst Nightmare

After my assignment ended in Colorado, the following day I was driving to the airport to finally go home. While driving on the highway, it started to snow. It was the first snow of the season so it was very wet. The speed limit on the highway was 75 mph but since I was nervous about driving in snow I slowed down to 55 mph.

Suddenly, ahead of me, multiple cars had come to an abrupt stop. So, as I tried to hit the brakes, the car spun out of control on the snow/ice and I ended up in a ditch on the side of the road. Fortunately, there were no major trees nearby so I didn’t hit anything. I was completely fine, no injuries. I was also lucky that there were no cars or semi-trucks behind me when my car spun out of control. That would have been another story.

I was stuck in the ditch because it was too steep and icy for my car to drive up on. I called the car rental company for road side assistance and they sent a tow truck to help me. While waiting for the tow truck, a firetruck stopped nearby. Many other cars ended up in a similar situation in that same area near me. The firemen were checking to make sure there were no major injuries.

They said it was dangerous for me to remain in my car on the side of the road so they brought me to a nearby truck stop. They told the people that worked there what happened and everyone was really nice. The employees offered me coffee and asked if I needed anything. An elderly couple asked if I needed a ride anywhere. I was very touched.

Fortunately, the tow truck had been close by and were able to pull out my car from the ditch rather quickly. The car was still drivable – there had only be some damage to the front bumper. It was an hour later and I was still 30 minutes from the airport so I had missed my flight. But I was glad I was still able to drive the rental to the airport.

I think I was in shock during that first hour. Because as soon as I got back in the car and started driving to the airport, I started crying. And I cried for hours. During the few seconds the car spun out of control and I ended up in a ditch – I thought to myself “oh no, if I end up in the hospital my family will have no idea what happened to me”. By Gods good grace, nothing happened to me but I was still affected by all of the adrenaline and finally crashed.

I was a bit mad at myself for extending my assignment because this is exactly why I never want to live in snow. I am not accustomed to it nor do I want to be. And I had felt “trapped” when I was stuck in the ditch in snow, freezing, not sure how long I would be down there.

I am soo grateful it was not for long. And of course, that I walked out of there unscathed. I am also grateful for the rental company (National) for helping me promptly. I am grateful that my agency paid for car insurance so I didn’t have to pay for the car to be repaired nor for the tow truck.

Not to be dramatic but I have a little PTSD from the accident. I can drive perfectly fine. But anytime I am mildly cold even indoors, it brings me back to the accident. This was my worst nightmare but I am glad everything turned out well. I will definitely continue to avoid working in cold places and I won’t be persuaded to extend.