June 2023

The Thing About Accidents

6/25/20231 min read

The thing about accidents is that they are never planned. Do you plan to drive to work tomorrow? Maybe. Do you plan to drive to work tomorrow and get into an accident? Probably not. Accidents aren't planned and you never know when they will strike. No advanced warning. No text ahead of time to let you know. They just happen when they happen. What you can do about it is always be protected so if something bad happens, you leave the legacy you want.

A few years ago, I was driving with my family on an interstate in Charlotte. Police, fire trucks and emergency vehicles began to pass us. A lot of emergency vehicles kept passing us. I knew up ahead something bad had happened. We came up on a scene on the other side of the highway that looked like a movie set. Traffic was completely stopped on the other side. There were 2 bodies laying in the middle of the 6 lanes, no cars were even close to them. We saw what looked to be 2 or 3 vehicles off on the other side of the road but they were too damaged to figure out exactly how many cars it really was. Our side of the interstate was still moving fairly well so we were past the scene in a matter of seconds.

I found out later on the national news that 5 people were killed in that accident. It actually started on our side of the road! A speeding car was weaving between lanes and clipped the back of a truck. The truck lost control and went through the middle barricade and into oncoming traffic on the other side. The truck slammed head on into several vehicles. The people didn't have a chance to respond, just got slammed head on by an out of control truck.

None of those 5 people planned to die that day, but sadly it happened and they had no power to change that outcome. I don't know who any of those 5 people are or what families were left behind. What I do know is that we all need to be thankful for everyday we have with our family and friends.