Jay Walking...it's a dangerous thing.

So this morning started out like any other, I stayed in bed a little too long but was still out of the house in record time. As I headed down the road that I have been using to get to work everyday for the last eleven years, lost in thought I was suddenly jolted back to reality when I inadvertently struck a woman who ran in front of me. It was such a surreal moment, as though time had stopped temporarily, I watched in horror as the woman flew up in the air and landed, face down onto the ground.

I pulled over as quickly as I could, still feeling stunned, I called 911 and raced over to where she lay. As I got closer the woman moved to her hands and knees and slowly crawled over to the sidewalk. All I kept thinking was, please don't let another car hit her while she is lying there. I was so relieved to see her moving. When I finally caught up to her I was stopped by the 911 operator who was trying to determine where exactly we were on the highway. Thankfully a woman who had witnessed the accident stopped to offer help and a statement.

The woman on the ground was sitting up by the time the paramedics, fire department and police showed up so I was feeling a little more relieved. The stranger and I both gave our statements to the police and it was determined that I was not at fault. The woman I hit ran across four lanes of traffic while we had a green light. She was almost there when I hit her. I didn't even see her until we made contact. The officer said that he was going to give her a ticket for jaywalking, which took the blame off of me.

This is all fine and good but it still doesn't change the fact that I struck another human being with my car. I think that I have been in a state of shock and denial for most of the day. The only time I really think about the events that took place this morning is when I am retelling the story. I do not even know her name. I am thankful that I was going the speed limit (45 mph) and that I did not hit that intersection two seconds earlier or this would probably be a completely different blog entry.

After calling into work to let them know what happened, I said a prayer of thanks and promptly but safely took myself back home. I am sure that sounds odd, to be thankful but I am. So many other factors could have come into play and I am thankful that she at the most has a broken leg. We will see what happens in the future with her, (you never know with people) but for now all of my t's are crossed and i's are dotted.

Now I can start breathing again.