My First Ambulance Ride

At approximately 3:15 pm on Monday, 2/5, I lost control of my beloved Honda Accord and crossed the yellow line barely visible on the snow covered road leading into our hometown.  Our daughter was in the passenger seat next to me and we were having some quality time together while listening to LIFE 101.9, a christian radio station.  The highway was busy in both directions and snow plows had just come through.  I don't know exactly what caused our vehicle to start swerving but I did feel relief when I made it all the way of the road even though it was the wrong side.  As the car slid through the snow and ice it suddenly turned back onto the highway directly in front of an oncoming van traveling approximately 50mph according to the police.  My final maneuver before striking the vehicle was to turn the wheel hard right in order to get our daughter out of the line of fire.  The powerful collision snapped our car back over the yellow line and off the road narrowly missing the cars behind us before coming to a complete stop.  The radio station was still playing.  It's funny how you notice the little things when you're in an emergency situation, but all I can say is it was nice to have that music playing even though I couldn't breathe or speak.  Our daughter called 911 and the paramedics arrived almost immediately.  In fact, there were emergency vehicles everywhere dotting the scene of the accident.

The biggest concern the paramedics had was my inability to breathe.  They didn't waste any time excavating me from the vehicle through the passenger door.  "Any sentimental value to your clothes?"  my paramedic asked with a pair of scissors in his hands.

I nodded yes, thinking back to my tennis days in Ramona when my mixed doubles team won our division and advanced to the district playoffs in Orange County.  The only time during this whole ordeal that I had tears was when the scissors snipped through my favorite tennis shirt.  I still couldn't talk or breathe but I knew I was in good hands.  The paramedic hooked up a breathing tube to my nose but the only way I could get air was to take tiny gasps through my mouth like a pregnant woman in the final stages of labor.  The heat in the ambulance felt good and I managed to calm down slightly before arriving at the University of Iowa Hospital approximately 40 minutes after the collision.

"We're all backed up at the emergency entrance," my paramedic said.  "The only way to get you in is to park outside and transport you through the snow."

The team pulled me out of the back of the ambulance and carted me through the somewhat bumpy ice-packed walkway.  A steady stream of snow landed on my near naked body.  It felt so refreshing.  And the view up to the sky was incredible.  I was feeling this strange sense of peace.

Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story.  I'm under strict orders to limit my contacts with the outside world until I bounce back.  Have a great day.