The Accident: One Life Lesson
It is a fact that every one of us has a past which constitutes events, some of which were tragic. Research has indicated that majority of the events were as a result of negligence or mere ignorance of the rules. My Childhood friends were extremely influential in molding me to who I am this day. There were numerous events that happened in my teenage life. However, one tragic event happened while I was accompanied by my closest friend Ahmed. I spent many years of my childhood time with him. During our teen years, a tragic event happened to us, which baffles my imagination to date. It is almost impractical to believe that we escaped that tragic event alive.
At the age of 16, I had little or no knowledge of the consequences of my actions. Therefore, most of the activities I was involved in as a teenager were careless and dangerous. At that age, I had a total disregard for the rule of law, and I took life for granted. My irresponsible behavior led to one of the most memorable tragic events in my life, which taught me crucial life lessons albeit through the hard way. In one warm summer night in my teenage years, a vital lesson in life was learnt. A tragic event occurred, which gave me the vital lesson that life is special and should never be taken for granted. It is an event that got Ahmed involved, and he nearly lost his life.
Notable is that we had a common character with my best friend, Ahmed. We were age-mates and we were both rebellious. At the age of 16, every teenager yearns to get a driver's license. This day came, and it was nothing different for me. This is a day that lingers in my mind every day of my life. After driving for a while in an off-road stretch, we finally arrived at a two lane, straight asphalt, which was well beyond a mile and a half long. I could not wait to experience the thrill of speed on the stretch.
After we had buckled our safety belts, I stepped on the gas with immense force and the vehicle roared and sprout, leaving behind a huge cloud of smoke. One thing which shocks me to date is the speed of over hundred miles per hour I was driving at with complete ignorance of the consequences and with total disregard of the speed limits, which were clearly indicated. Although I do not remember vividly what happened, I remember seeing total darkness and suddenly hearing a big bang. What followed were scenes, which are hard to forget. My seat belt had become extremely tight on my chest. In front of us was a huge trunk and branches all over the car.
I had driven past a wire fence and crashed on a tree. Moments after the tragic crash, I would feel blood oozing from my mouth and my nose. My immediate attention turned to Ahmed whom I realized was bleeding profusely. With his eyes closed, and his seat having been twisted towards me, I feared for the worst. As I tried calling his name, I was trembling with fear and shock. Although he was excessively bleeding, my only hope was that he was not hurt as much as I was. After I had regained my consciousness, I realized that I had driven past a wire fence, which had cut through the car's windshield, as well as the entire topmost section of the car.
Although the temperature was mild, I was sweating excessively. I knew that I would be in trouble with the authorities. However, my worry was not the trouble I would get into with the authorities, but the safety of my childhood best friend, Ahmed. His screams during the crash were frightening. The thought of having crashed Ahmed to death was unbelievable. He was the kid whom I trusted most and a friend who would not trade our friendship. I knew the tragic accident was as a result of my fault and that if anything had happened to Ahmed I was entirely to blame.
Ahmed's face was covered with blood, and I was ashamed to look at him when he was clutching his chest from the deep cut inflicted by the tight seat belt. In the midst of the events, I was in deep thoughts with regard to the whole accident. It was worrying how I was to break the news of the accident to my parents. Additionally, I was in deep thoughts on what to do with my new car, which was now completely damaged. It also dawned to me that I might lose a driver's license as a result of my negligent driving. The most surprising thing is that Ahmed apologized to me when he got up. I, however, responded by apologizing to him for having caused him the trouble.
It had now also dawned to me that I had messed up, and I was almost killing one of my best childhood friends.
It would be worthless at this juncture to say that the car was completely wrecked. The crash had been caused by my carelessness as I drove through a wire fence and hit a tree before hitting a mound of garbage which forced the car to roll several times. Within a span of five seconds, I had learned numerous life lessons. Life can change permanently within a very short time. The decisions we make with regard to life are paramount. The accident taught me how precious life is and how lucky I was to have survived. I think and reflect about this night every other time in my life. It taught me crucial life lessons such as the regard for the rule of law, as well as driving within the specified speed limits. I have continually tried to tell my friend and loved ones about the accident anytime I remember it, hoping that they learn helpful lessons from it.