For the second time this year, and under eerily similar circumstances, Mark and I witnessed a car accident.  Again, just one car shy of being actually in the accident, there was a collision just half a car ahead of us and one lane over because someone turned in front of another car.  These two cars were small/mid-size, and the one violating the other’s way hit him such that both cars spun around and ended up practically 180 degrees from where they had been going.  Which was a good thing as it allowed the momentum to continue for a few split seconds.  There was the usual terrible sound of crashing metal and glass, screeching; and having to watch the cars spin around was terrifying.  But, I think because they did spin and thus kept moving, both drivers and one passenger were able to get out of their cars the moment the cars stopped moving, visibly shaken, but unhurt.  Mark later told me that all airbags had inflated.  Without airbags, things might have been a bit different, but I suspect not too much.

Thank God no other cars were in the intersection at that moment – it took the two involved cars one entire side of the intersection to complete their circles.  Mark had immediately pulled over into the turn lane, and I was on the phone calling 911 even before the cars had stopped spinning.  Mark went over to both cars to see if anyone was hurt and once he saw that they were ok he came back.  While on the phone with 911 I looked around; there were other people, also on their cell phones, also calling 911; the dispatcher, after asking me several questions, thanked me for calling and said that they had received lots of calls about the accident already.  A gaggle of kids and teenagers came running, cell phone in hand – obviously not calling 911 but taking pictures. 

The force of the collision was enough to completely rip off the front bumper (and then some) of both cars, compress part of the engine compartment, and to pop open the trunk of one of the cars.  Fortunately, when the front of a car looks that bad, it usually means that the engine compartment absorbed much of the impact, sparing the people inside. 

After Mark’s reassurance that both drivers and one passenger were alright and finishing the call with 911, we got in our car and left.  Once we were safely in our car, I started to cry.  One of the young drivers, when he got out of his car, had looked just like Chris, one of my sons – young, tall, still a teenager - still only a kid.  Later, over dinner, I texted Chris who lives in Texas to say that I loved him.  Told him in half a sentence about the accident, and asked him to take good care of himself.   He texted back, “I always take care of myself.”  Later, he called, wanting to know whether I was ok.  He’s 19 and a good kid.  But still only a kid.