In My Mind’s Zen Garden

I was rushing to my gig downtown yesterday, driving south on highway 395, when I caught something to my right.

I quickly noticed a cloud of smoke coming from a car that appeared to be either exiting or entering this freeway offramp. It was one of those where cars have to merge, both exiting and entering the freeway.

Anyway, I spotted this car and the puff of smoke and for a second thought it was overheating, but then during the next second realized that the car hit a large post. It then deflected off of that post and the cloud of smoke must’ve been smoke or steam coming from the engine when the car hit that post.

So, after deflecting off the post the car crossed the lane in an angle and violently banged into the protective railing at the side of the offramp, then slowly came to a halt. At that time I was passing the vehicle and noticed the driver was leaning against the window.

Immediately, I thought… this person must’ve passed out and apparently lost control of the vehicle, and I was thinking that the worst could’ve happened. Maybe the person had a stroke? Maybe the person had a heart attack? Or had a seizure of some sort… either way, it was one of the most eerie things I’d witnessed on the freeways and highways of California.

I was thinking of turning around to help but I was like in the second to the left-most lane on the freeway and I’d have to take the next freeway exit which was at least a mile down the road. Fortunately, I noticed at least 2-3 cars pulling up behind the banged up car. So, I trust that they had called 911. And I assumed they would call it in. I definitely would have called 911 had the accident happen directly in front of my in the same lane or road.

So, I rationalized that someone was taking care of that emergency. And I continued on to my destination so that I wouldn’t be late for my gig.

I’ve witnessed a few accidents that have happened before my eyes, aside from the few accidents I’d been involved in. Once, I witnessed this car running the red light and a car (that had the green light) slammed into the car that ran the red light and pushed it into the center pole (that had the traffic lights) and the car wrapped around that pole and at the same time knocked it down! Very strange to actually watch accidents.

Another accident I witnessed was recently… maybe last year. A car was pulling out onto a boulevard and was hit by an oncoming car. The car that was hit (pulling out) was launched into the air on its side and landed into a chain link fence. I watched the driver and front passenger still strapped in their seats and on their side, as the vehicle flew into the air and landed on its left side! Really freaky stuff. The two people seemed to be alright and they climbed out of the vehicle, apparently un-injured. But you never know. They might’ve broken a few bones or suffered whiplash but were still shell shocked by what had just happened.

Last year I was bumped from behind by another car on the freeway and because my vehicle was bigger I suffered very minor damage, but the other vehicle looked totalled yet seemed drivable. We both pulled over to the emergency lane but then the other guy took off and made the incident a hit-and-run. Maybe he didn’t have insurance?

Anyway, car accidents are scary events. Especially because you have automobiles traveling very fast, tons of metal on concrete and asphalt. I’ve been in several close calls too, because of people who seemed drunk that they weren’t in full control of their cars. I gig at nights and come home late at night, so I see a LOT of crazy drivers out there after the gigs, on the way home.

Scary stuff, really….