SEOAly

You are here: Home / On A Personal Note / My Near Death Experience

My Near Death Experience

By

Okay…before I go any further, I want to make it clear that I’m not being funny and there is no exaggeration involved here.  Now, on with it…

As many of you may know, I left Jacksonville this morning headed to Nashville to be in the audience for a “CMT Invitation Only” concert with Reba McEntire that will air sometime later this spring or summer.  I was VERY excited when I was chosen to be in the audience, as Reba is (and always has been) one of my favorite people – famous or otherwise.

As soon as I hit the Tennessee state line, it began to rain…no big deal.  It’s just rain.  I’m a road warrior.  I’ve driven thousands of miles in the rain.  That said, I’m not one of those idiots that drives 100 mph on wet pavement.  I’ve seen the results of hydroplaning and I never wanted to experience it for myself.  Alas, the universe had other plans for me today.

I was in the slow lane on I-24 W about 100 miles outside Nashville.  It wasn’t raining much…sprinkling just hard enough to require me to set my windshield wipers on the slowest intermittent setting.  I was in the right hand lane traveling 70 mph – the posted speed limit for that stretch of Interstate.  I was going straight.  There was no standing water on the pavement.

Suddenly, my car began to slide.  The back end of my car began to slide to the right.  I steered into the slide, like I have a million times before – having  grown up in Central Indiana, I am familiar with slick pavement and how to attempt to pull a car out of a slide – though never at 70 mph, which appears to have been the most important variable today.

I quickly realized that there was no way to stop it and despite everything I was doing with my accelerator, brakes and steering wheel, I was merely along for the ride.  As many have said, time literally slows almost to a stop.  I remember thinking to myself as I was spinning in slow motion, “Oh, shit…shit, shit, shit…this is bad.  This is really, really bad…”.

Before I knew it, my car was completely sideways sliding down the Interstate, now taking up both lanes.  My spin continued to complete a full 180 degree turn and I was still sliding – now backwards and in the fast lane – as the cars that were previously behind me, now in front of me, were hurdling toward me at highway speed on wet pavement.  I was pretty sure I was going to die.

I continued to slide backwards for what seemed to be an eternity when my front tires finally grabbed – luckily I’d turned the wheel so that the back end of my car would head toward the guardrail in the median, rather than back across the two lanes of traffic.  The back passenger’s side of the car hit the guardrail first and I proceeded to screetch to a halt as the guardrail grazed the side and then clipped the front passenger’s side of the car.

There was only a half shoulder in the center median, so once I realized I wasn’t dead, I slammed the car into reverse and backed it across into the shoulder on the other side of the slow lane.  Luckily the cars behind me had stopped and I had just enough time to get out of their way without causing a massive pile up of cars behind them that were unaware of my Nascar-like spin into the guardrail.

I hopped out of the car, walked around to the passenger’s side expecting to see two flat tires and an utterly undrivable vehicle.  Astonishingly, despite the damage to the back end, the scrapes down the side and the headlight that was pulled out when the front of the car swiped the guardrail, the tires were fine.  There was no significant damage to either wheel well and nothing that I could see that led me to believe the car wasn’t drivable.

So, I popped the headlight back in, hopped back in the car and started slowly down the shoulder listening for any rub, knock, shake or shimmy…nothing.  It was as if nothing happened.  I took it surprisingly well, to be perfectly honest.  It wasn’t until about 10 miles down the road that it dawned on me what had actually happened…and how unbelievably lucky I am that I’m not dead right now.  I am clearly some sort of cat and today I used up 8 of my 9 lives.

Ironically, it didn’t rain another drop until I pulled into my hotel here in Brentwood.  There are hundreds of songs on my iPod…only a small percentage of which are Reba’s.  And as I pulled into the my parking space, this song began to play (no, I’m not kidding…I kind of wish I were because this REALLY freaked me out):

Now, if you’ll excuse me…I must go shower and get ready for Reba’s concert.  Oh, and I might go ahead and throw up first.  That remains to be seen.

About Alysson

I'm Alysson (a.k.a. "SEOAly") and I've been an active part of the search marketing industry since 2006. I offer affordable small business website design and search engine optimization services. I'm also a contributing author for several industry publications, including: Search Engine Journal, Search Engine People, Viral Conversations and Directory Journal.

Comments

  1. Kathy McGraw says

    I can so identify…had an experience where I was turning and turning but came to a stop in the middle of the freeway facing the wrong way. I watched as a truck came barreling down and that “oh shit” never stopped as it hit me. To this day I know I am lucky to be alive.
    Hope you enjoy the concert :)

    Kathy McGraws latest words of wisdom – Serrano Del Vista 55+ Community Video

  3. Laura Rucker says

    Wow, Alysson, I can’t believe what you went through! I’m so glad you are OK. I can’t imagine how scared you must have felt. Take care and drive home safely!

    Laura Ruckers latest words of wisdom – I Finally Own a Laptop!

  4. David Leonhardt says

    I’ve had a few simmilar experiences on black ice, so I can relate. Once the steering proves useless, oh-shits and waiting are all that’s left.

    Glad you made it out in one piece…and that all your car has to show are battle scars. :-)

    David Leonhardts latest words of wisdom – SEO Strategies for Financial Websites

    • Alysson says

      Thanks, David. I’m incredibly lucky, obviously. I almost want to not fix my car just so I never forget how lucky I really am and that I’m living on borrowed on time.

      Alyssons latest words of wisdom – My Near Death Experience

  5. Melanie says

    I’m so glad you’re okay Aly and my heart goes out to you for having experienced such a terrifying ordeal!

    I’m visiting an old friend in the hospital tonight. She was in a horrific car accident on Friday and has many injuries including a collapsed lung and possible brain damage. The doctor’s say she’s lucky to be alive. She really is, and so are we all. Too bad most of us only remember that when our lives are in peril :{

    Melanies latest words of wisdom – Women in Business: What Should They Know About SEO?

    • Alysson says

      Hey, Mel. I’m so sorry to learn about your friend. It really forces us to realize how fragile life is and that in a split second life as we know it can completely change.

      I hope your friend is okay and that she recovers as quickly as possible. :(

      Alyssons latest words of wisdom – My Near Death Experience

  6. Steph Woods says

    I am so glad to hear you are okay! It is a terrifying experience being in a car accident.

    The worst one I ever had was when I was 16. We flipped a bunch of times on the highway and landed in the lane going the other way. Nobody was hurt, but the car was toast!

    Ever since then I’ve never taken life for granted. It can all end in a flash of a second. It’s why I never hold grudges and tell my mom I love her every time we speak. :)

    Steph Woodss latest words of wisdom – WordPress.com vs. WordPress.org

    • Alysson says

      Thanks. :) You’re absolutely right. This life can all end in a split second and once it’s over, it’s over. It certainly puts everything into perspective and serves as a reminder to NEVER sweat the small stuff.

      To be in a vehicle that flips several times and everyone walks away proves that it just wasn’t your day to go. When it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go…whether it’s in a car accident or choking on a piece of chicken. I’ve always believed that and now I have a personal tale that serves as even more evidence that I’m right.

      Alyssons latest words of wisdom – My Near Death Experience

  7. wilhb81 says

    WoW, Allyson. I bet your car’s right side backlight was seriously smashed and cracked! Thank goodness, you’re survived from the horrible incident. Hope that Jesus will always be with you…

    wilhb81s latest words of wisdom – Business one-liners 52

  8. cyberdov says

    Brings back a memory…25 years ago I hit some black ice while driving at 70mph in the left lane. the car spun around a couple of times, and somehow ended up pointed in the right direction on the shoulder on the right side of the road. It was like an angel had decided to play with the car and spin it around for fun. I was shaking so much my foot couldn’t depress the clutch.
    Glad you survived unscathed.

  9. Abu C3 says

    Hey there, I found your site a number of weeks ago and have ploughed through all the posts and comments steadily. I thought should make my firstcomment. Not really sure what to say but anyway. Informative site. Will visit soon to see what else youve got to tell me.

Subscribe via email!