Here's the dashcam footage of the accident. After showing this to the cop (on the side of the road, because my laptop still had battery), I was told that the other driver is 100% at fault for failure to yield to the driver with the right of way. Tomorrow I get to submit this footage to insurance, and in a few minutes, it will be sent to the police officer who will attach this to the accident report for their records.
Earlier today, less than 12 hours before my accident (no pictures unfortunately), my twin sister had an accident in which she was t-boned making a left turn across two lanes of traffic, where one lane was stopped, and the other lane had an approaching vehicle. In that case, she made a poor judgement call much like the driver of this Silverado.
I'm with it, I'm together, and I'm okay. I have no bruises or headaches, but I smell like an airbag. It's unpleasant. I am a little achey, but I most certainly attribute that to being under so much stress at the moment. Was I unable to react? I most certainly reacted and made my best effort to avoid the truck, but in the end, the car wasn't able to perform. It is apparent from the video that I made a very quick reaction to slow the vehicle down.
One thing that the video doesn't really show is that the Silverado made a pretty crappy attempt at trying to drive away. I had been prepared to read his license plate to the 911 dispatcher had he tried, because it was apparent that he was looking to avoid blame. When he did get out of the vehicle, I most certainly was pissed, asking him what he was thinking, and why he tried to blow through a yellow light like that. I was most certainly pissed, and told him plainly that I had a dashcam running, and I had footage of exactly what he had done. Not having that footage to back me up, I'm not sure I would be able to prove my case so easily to the police. The moment they saw the footage, they agreed he was at fault, no contest whatsoever for my actions.
One of the inherent issues with a front wheel drive vehicle is that the front wheels are really only capable of doing one thing at a time. They can steer or they can brake or they can accelerate, or they can absorb a bump. Asking them to do anything more than one of those things at a time will just result in a lack of secondary response. Given the limited shoulder, the size of the truck, and the distance I had to brake, I ran out of options.
The wheels were too busy trying to slow down to be able to turn effectively in any direction. I made an attempt to slow down, and steer towards the opposing lane of traffic because I saw no obstacles, and could have used the driveway across the intersection as a skid pad to slow down, had I been able to clear the truck.
I'm thankful for the number of people who stopped. Normally a number of people just pass, with little to no regard of the situation in front of them. A passing EMT had stopped in his personal vehicle, along with a couple other drivers who had asked if I was alright. In the past, I have never experienced this. It was certainly a nice gesture, and while I didn't know anyone, and may never see them again, I'm glad they stopped, and I hope karma rewards them. It wasn't much, but it is the thought that truly counts.
Oppo, just a reminder: be safe out there. It doesn't matter if it's the middle of the night or the point when the sun is highest in the sky, your attention matters. There are certainly points in which there's no avoiding it. No one is perfect and accidents do happen. Just do your best to avoid them, and when you can't, for whatever reason, do your best to remain calm and collected throughout the experience. We fall so that we learn to pick ourselves up again. Do not forget that. Accidents are just that, accidents.
Obviously my dad is pissed as all hell. Two cars in one day. Clearly in his mind, this is my fault. Speed was the issue. I was distracted, I wasn't paying attention, and it was my fault, regardless of what any of the cops had said. This is just how he works. He gets angry, and doesn't really know how to properly channel his anger, or how to filter anything he says. I told him I was getting a ride home, and I would deal with it. I didn't want him to run his mouth at any cop, I have to prove my worth and ability to react correctly in these situations. He's allowed his opinion, and it will never change. He will never change. All I can do is my own thing and just keep on moving. Of course he's glad I'm okay, but he sure has one shitty way of showing it. To myself and all of my sisters.
Am I sad to see the Neon go? Yes. I didn't always get along with the car, and certainly more money was put into it than it was ever worth, but for 5 years the car did it's duty, and got me from point A to point B in one piece. It took out a deer, it got bumped and scraped around a bit, but was a basic commuter car. It was never subject to abuse, nor did I ever pretend it was anything more than a basic commuter car. It lived most of it's life in New Jersey, only a handful of times visiting Pennsylvania. It was okay for a Neon. It was a peppy, somewhat enjoyable manual transmission that certainly helped the car be tolerable as a daily driver for so long. It saw me through two relationships and into my current one. It got me to and from work, and always dutifully provided 29MPG like clockwork.
But like clockwork, all good things come to an end. It's life was unfortunately cut short by the driver of a Chevy Silverado 1500 Crew Cab. Doing what it was going to do for someone, somewhere out there, the Neon protected me, just as designed. The mild smack in the face sensation, paired with the smell of the packaging of the airbag, the Neon was able to make sure I was okay one last time. Like all good friends, we had our disagreements, but good friends are always there for you.
Thank you Neon. I wish I could have seen you go to a new home and continue to explore the world, but you're in a good place now.
May Senna take care of you, you will be missed.