10:16 p.m. - 2004-04-30
Welcome to my nightmare
Have you ever been driving along, seen a kid by the side of the road and wondered what would happen if that kid ran in front of your car without warning and oblivious to the fact that you�re about to hit him? Well, if you�re interested in finding out, give me a shout sometime.
Incidentally, the first thing that will happen to you is you�ll have a heart attack.
I�ll preface my story with this: the kid is OK. No major injuries, just a little banged up and slightly embarrassed. And no injuries to myself, either. I have, however, been entertaining thoughts of walking down to the nearest Ministry of Transportation office and giving them back my license.
I will also say that there was absolutely nothing I could have done to prevent the whole thing. In fact, the kid was lucky I was paying attention to him when he decided to walk out in front of me. I slammed on the brakes and made a quick swerve to avoid him. Unfortunately, it wasn�t quite fast enough and I clipped him on the side.
I ran out of the car with my cell ready to phone an ambulance, but the kid had managed to walk himself to the curb. He was crying his eyes out because he had banged his knees up, but he didn�t appear to have any life-threatening injuries. I called his parents and tried to calm him down. I actually felt bad for the kid because he was blaming himself. I told him that these things happen and that it�s good he wasn�t hurt more. It�s possible he felt worse than I did about the whole thing, but I doubt it.
When the parents came, they were going to call the police, and I had visions of being taken away in handcuffs. Unlikely, yes, but I have a wild imagination. They opted not to and took the kid home, but not before we exchanged phone numbers. I can honestly say that I have never wanted a cigarette more in my life, with the possible exception of when I saw the guy get hit by a car on the highway. But that�s a story for another day.
Anyhow, I got home a little while later (I was driving Steph to the airport, and I didn�t want her taking a cab). My mom suggested I call the police anyway and report it, which I agreed was a good idea. I�ve had enough trouble with collisions and cars over the past couple of years. And it was a good thing, too. The cop that came by my house to make a report told me that had the kid�s parents called first to make a report, I could have been charged with failing to remain at the scene. That would have really ruined my day.
In the end, it looks like everyone is ok and I can say (knock on wood) all�s well that end�s well. One thing is for sure, I couldn�t be happier about moving to London now. They have an excellent public transportation system there.
