Cormac McCarthy once stated, “You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from” (“Quotes”). While facing a tough situation, people sometimes forget there could be an even worse circumstance which they could have encountered. In addition they need to realize how lucky there really were with the tough situation they were put in. Consequently, I certainly felt luckier than ever one fatal, summer afternoon after arriving home from a car accident. On June 29, 2013, Derek’s car slid down the wet, grassy ditch and into a thicket of trees and rocks. Even though the accident turned out to be just a minor occurrence in Derek’s life, as well as my own, we will never forget how lucky we really were and how unfortunate we could have been.

After a wonderful date to the movie, The Heat, Derek and I are on our way back to Cascade. The rain is pounding and splashing on the windshield causing our vision to be impaired. Along with the rain, the sound of music is blasting and blaring through our ear drums. However, we do not turn down the volume dial because we are having too much fun belting out the lyrics at the top of our lungs. Though the rain should be of a concern to us, we choose to ignore the drops of water pelting the car as we are too busy singing and dancing to the beat. Even though we are not paying close attention to the stormy circumstances, Derek and I are still driving the speed limit of sixty-five on Highway 151. While still driving the speed limit with the car set on cruise, we gradually stop fooling around because the severity of the heavy rainfall is becoming very hazardous.

With trying to lighten the mood, Derek and I chuckle nervously, both saying, “Look, we will be out of this rain in no time! There is a clearing in the clouds up the road a few miles.” As we are driving towards the bright, glowing opening in the dark, dreary skies, Derek instinctively decides he is going to pass an olive colored minivan. The minivan is driving fairly slowly and Derek and I want to arrive back to town so I can spend time with my friends. Even though the van is going slow due to the rain, we figure they are just being extra cautious and do not want to go for an adventure which we would soon face. Thus, Derek switches lanes, crossing the white, dashed lines along the middle of the sopping wet highway.

In the process of passing the van, the rain continuously pours down; yet, we think we are going to make the break in the dark skies. Without a further thought from both of us, Derek’s car suddenly spins out of control. The car starts to hydroplane. The sound of screeching tires burst through my ears along with horns honking. Soon enough, Derek’s car flips backwards due to the sign his car hits and breaks down. By this time, I am gripping Derek’s right arm with all my might and tightly grabbing the door handle with my right hand. Every sound in the car seems to vanish, including the loud music, honking horns, and my own yelping and screaming. As the car continues the backwards descent, the wet, highway pavement disappears and becomes a sloppy, grassy ditch. While gliding down backwards with increasing speed, all sound is still absent, and I am not able to see out my windows anymore. Consequently, to my lack of hearing, I can no longer see because of my inability to comprehend what is happening.

Before hydroplaning, the rain was impairing my vision; however, now my own conscious is telling me not to open my eyes. Despite the fact I do not open my eyes, my only thought while rushing down the wet, steep hill is, This car is going to roll and Derek and I are going to die. Please God, do not let us die. In addition to the descent into the ditch taking what seemed like forever, my mind races with a million thoughts and I begin to sweat, and then BAM! Derek’s car abruptly stops with a jolt and a tug on the seatbelt against my chest. The car hits a pile of large, multicolored rocks and is hidden in a bunch of trees. Even though we are finally stopped from our dangerous event, I continue to keep my eyes shut for a few seconds and cannot hear the music or Derek pleading with me to open my eyes. Within those few seconds, I wonder why the car did not flip or how we are even still alive.

Through all the wondering and questions I was contemplating with my eyes closed, I finally open them and discover Derek staring at me with his big, glossy, hazel eyes. He frantically asks me if I am okay while giving me a warm, comforting hug from the driver’s seat. While hugging with our bodies shaking endlessly, we notice the rain has strangely stopped pouring and the sun is shining down on us. We both feel a bit of comfort from the sun and realize we ironically made our way to the clear hole in the sky. Although Derek and I reach the dry spot in the storm, we soon come back to reality with our fears, tears, and shaking hands. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spot someone charging down the steep ditch towards Derek’s car.

Thankfully, the people in the green van are coming to our rescue. Within a few moments, they are outside the passenger door and I open up my door and answer all of their questions as best as I can. They inform us they eased up on the gas due to the fact they started to hydroplane right before Derek’s car took off down into the ditch. As soon as the family in the green van generously lend Derek and I bottles of water, they head back on their way. After they leave, Derek and I call our parents and explain to them the accident. Undoubtedly, our parents’ reactions are exactly what we expect. They are both equally concerned and are on their way immediately. Even though Derek and I call our parents to help console us and tell us we will be fine, we are still breathing heavily and shaking uncontrollably. Once our parents arrive, we are more than thankful to see them. We tightly hug them with tears streaming down our faces and get into their vehicles. As we pile into our own parents’ vehicles, we all ponder about the accident which just occurred. Although neither Derek nor I are injured in any way, we feel blessed and joyous because we are still alive.

Unquestionably, June 29, 2013, will forever be a date which will never leave my mind. I believe a lot worse could have happened to Derek and I that summer afternoon, including rolling the car and smashing into the hard rocks and trees. Although Derek and I were very lucky we came out of the accident perfectly okay, making the mistake of driving too fast during a severe rain storm was a lesson we soon learned. Fortunately, Derek and I realize we could have ended up a lot worse than what we did that day; our bad luck may have saved us from gaining worse luck.

Work Cited
"Quotes about Luck." (191 Quotes). Goodreads Inc. Web. 06 Sept. 2013.