It’s Not Just You Behind the Wheel

The effects of unsafe driving run through my head everytime I sit behind the wheel. You never think a fatal car accident can happen to you, a friend, or a family member until it’s too late. I thought the same thing until I received a call from my mother on January 12th, 2023.

It was a nice day in January and I woke up to study for my last day of midterms. My easiest ones were on the last day, so I just assumed it would be an easy day and my friends and I would go to eat at an Italian restaurant to celebrate the end of our testing. We all completed our midterms and when it was time we left school. We all gathered around the table discussing our test answers and how we thought we scored. Our chatter died down as we waited for our meals to come out. I thought it would be a good time to text my mom and tell her how I thought I preformed on my exams. That never happened though, as I looked at my phone I saw a text from my mother saying “call me immediately”. My heart sank as I knew something was very wrong. I then excused myself from the table and went outside to call her back.

Outside waiting for my mother to pick up I noticed the cold and something felt off, but then she finally answered. When she picked up the phone I could hear something in her voice that whatever she was gonna say was very bad, it sounded like she was crying. Then the words I could never forget, “Honey I’m so sorry, but your friend Jimmy is dead.” I thought she was playing a sick joke as at the time Jimmy and I hadn’t been talking as much. Then the shaking started I could barley stand as her words were beginning to register in my mind. All I could say was “Are you sure?” and “You have to be kidding.” All my mother could say to me was, “I’m so sorry.” At the time she called, no one knew a lot of details about the accident, other than it was a young man from Williams Valley. Still shaking, I walked back into the restaurant and pulled my friend Emily outside, as her and Jimmy were very good friends aswell. I told her the devastating news, but all I could say to her was “There’s been in accident in Williams Valley.” I couldn’t even finish my sentence before she said, “Do we know who? Nevermind, I’ll text Jimmy and ask him.” My heart sank and I explained we can’t text him as it was him in the accident.

I don’t remember much else from that lunch with my friends as I was in a daze. I couldn’t do anything but think about what he felt, if he was alone, how scared he must’ve been. What I do remember is the car ride home, it was my friends car, but she let me sit in the front as she said I didn’t look so good. They drove me home, but all I could think about was him. I walked into my house along with two of my friends. They only stayed long enough to say goodbye and told me if I needed them to call them. They both hugged me and left. I stood in my kitchen right in the spot where they said their goodbyes to me and just broke down. I never before in my life experienced this type of hurt, guilt, and sorrow. All I wanted to do was text him and ask him all the things I never got to, and to say all the things I wish I could’ve said.

A few days passed and I can’t do anything. I couldn’t eat, sleep, or even just sit up. Then I decided to text Emily to check up on her. When I looked at my phone, I saw what I had been hoping for, something that could put my mind at ease. It was an article about the accident and what had happned along with a link to his obituary and a go-fund-me. As I read the artice, I got sick to my stomach as the accident was very severe. The artice stated that Jimmy hit a truck in the 12 o’clock position, his car went airborne through a pole, into a tree, then down an embankment. I couldn’t imagine how sacred he was as he was all alone and having to experience something so traumatic. To this day, I think about how it should’ve been different, and how none of this should have happened, not to him.

Jimmy changed many lives that day when he passed. He changed the life of his friends, his family, and those who he saved as he was an organ donor. He was a kind, funny, and beautiful person who inspires me everyday to be the change I want to see everyday. All he ever wanted to do was help people in anyway he could, and he has helped more people than he could ever imagine. Altough this was an awful accident, it has altered my perspective on life and has changed me as a person forever. I encourage those around me to practice safe driving to help make the roads a safer place for all. No one should have to suffer the loss of a loved one to an accident. Schools should do what they can to teach about driving in unsafe conditions, the importance of safe driving, and that it’s not just your life behind the wheel.