Tonight I am thankful that the good Lord watches over us in the most critical moments of our life. On my way home tonight, I was driving down a 4 lane (Hwy-319) through the north side of Tallahassee when a lady pulling out of a gas station tried to cross over to the median to go in the opposite direction. I slammed on my rear brakes and peeled off about 60 feet of Michelin rubber so the imminent collision was almost in slow motion. I hit the back left quarter panel of her station wagon at about 35 mph. I was launched in the air about 25 feet and managed to complete my flip just prior to landing on my back....sliding another 15 feet. I think the Soviet judges would've been impressed with how I stuck the landing.
After a few moments of reflection and anotomical inventory, I managed to climb back up on my feet, shake the cobwebs out of my head and try to focus my vision on the $&()$#& that was driving the car. I was all up in her face spouting a litnay of profanity.
She was a lady in her mid-50s who suddenly burst into tears and telling me how she was so sorry. I stopped raging and went over and hugged her and told her "i'm alive...thats whats important right now". She sobbed for several minutes and I spent that time consoling her while the police arrived on scene. We did the SOP accident report stuff and all the while she kept wiping the blood off my hands with sanitary wipes. I felt so bad for her in the moment...almost as if she were the victim. My wife finally arrived to drive me home and I went over and hugged the lady again and told her I must have a guardian angel looking out for me or else, I'm down to 8 lives now. The 1st time she smiled. We exchanged the Happy Thanksgiving sentiment and I parted asking her if she has a different outlook on motorcycles sharing the road and she nodded yes an,d smiled again.
My bike's bashed up nicely but "hey, I'm alive and will be enjoying Turkey & Dressing tomorrow...Happy Thanksgiving to all....
