This is my true story about the day I almost died.
When I was 19, I moved to Fortuna California to be with my boyfriend of 5 years, John. At 19, you don't really realize the character elements that you want in a mate and this was part of my process for determining if this was the person I would spend the rest of my life with. With the years of life lessons behind me, I have learned that knowing what you DON'T want in a partner is just as important as knowing what you DO want.
The morning of that fateful day started similar to most: wake up, make coffee, eat breakfast, go to school, which for me was a Junior College not far from Fortuna. It was the first day, I had the confusion of finding out where classes were, what teachers expected, getting my books, and trying to fit in to a place where I knew no one. John worked at Safeway, and so school wouldn't be a part of his life.
The night before John had said to me "why are you bothering to go to school? You'll never be an engineer. You should just marry me and get pregnant". For someone who has always done well in school and had made the difficult decision to become an engineer, this was quite a blow. Not because I believed him (fortunately) but because I realized he didn't support my goals and didn't have faith in me. This created quite division in my thinking: do I follow love of this person, or do I follow my dream? I was so torn, I wished for a sign.
After school, I went home and made a roast because that seemed like a very independent adult thing to do. It was the first one I had ever made, so I followed the recipe precisely. The roast had to cook for 3 hours so I started it at 3:00. Just as the roast went into the over, John and his friend Doug staggered in totally drunk. They had the idea that we should all go to the beach (near Ferndale) and drink more. I refused. I was only 19 but I was not about to get into a vehicle with two drunks.
They thought my refusal was funny, so they picked me up like a sack of potatoes and threw me into the back of the Jeep, which had only a milk crate for a seat. I started to cry because I was so scared, and that fueled attempts to see how scared they could get me. I screamed for them to let me out, but they drove on, laughing, swerving on purpose and driving off the road because it made me so afraid.At Ferndale, we turned on the wet, winding road to the coast. Doug continued to swerve to terrify me and it worked. At some point, he decided to see how fast he could go around a corner (on the wet road, with faulty brakes on one side). He lost control and the Jeep turned sideways to the direction we were going, and started to roll and bounce. I had the thought "I'm going to die right now".
There was glass breaking and I was being thrown all around the vehicle as it rolled because I wasn't even on a seat. When I woke up, I was in the middle of the road. A lady had my head in her lap and was moving the hair out of my eyes. She told me she had seen the whole thing: the Jeep losing control, me being thrown out of it (through a window or door) and she said she watched in horror as the Jeep BOUNCED OVER ME. She thought I would have been smashed flat but by some miracle, the Jeep bounced over me and missed me. The impact to the ground did break my pelvis, and I had scraped along the ground in so many places that I was pretty bloody (I still have a scar on my forehead from a gash there), but I was alive. I couldn't move my legs, which was terrifying, but I was honestly so grateful that I wasn't dead, that I though being paralyzed would be a price I would pay. I also thought, "well, this is the sign, isn't it". I knew that once I recovered, I would leave John and find someone who would be better for me.
For the minor details:
-The roast burned to a crisp. I had asked the police officer who asked me questions in the hospital to please have someone turn off the oven so my house wouldn't burn down. He thought I was delirious at first, but after several repeats he realized that I was totally coherent.
I moved home with my parents and eventually recovered from all my injuries. I missed a semester of school, but I got back to it and got an AS degree from Sierra College in Rocklin. I went on to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and received my Mechanical Engineering degree. I also have a Masters Degree in Engineering Management from Santa Clara. I now have worked in the aerospace field for 31 years, and married the best man I ever met. I did get pregnant, late in life (when I was 40) and we have two wonderful children.
I never saw nor talked to John again. I know he still lives in the same small town we met in.
I can't recommend a near-death experience for everyone, but I can tell you that it has been something that I learned so much from. Every day I wake up is a good day and I still feel happy to be alive every single day. I have an appreciation for life and living that came from that day I almost died.
