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My phone buzzed as I was on my way home from class. I glanced at the screen; it was Devon. "What's up?" I asked.
"Dad, I've been in a wreck."
It's the call every parent hates to get -- and which every parent generally will eventually receive. Your throat closes, your heart rate accelerates, you feel the pusle pounding in your temples. "You OK?"
"Banged up a little. My back's sore. But I'm all right."
The pulse backs down a few digits, The temple pounding recedes, The heart decides it's going to stay in the ribcage for the time being...
Devon had been on his way to visit his grilfriend at Earlham College, on 27 heading into Oxford, OH -- 27 is a two lane state highway, with a speed limit of 50. He was about 30 minutes from home when a school bus two vehicles ahead stopped to let out kids. The car behind the bus stopped, Devon stopped.
The car behind Devon, driven by a Miami student, didn't. She plowed into Devon with her SUV, pushing his Jetta into the car in front. The bus, thankfully, wasn't hit in turn.
I stopped at home for a minute to drop off my school stuff and computer, then headed off to pick up Devon, since the car wasn't drivable. I called Devon back to see how things were going; he said his neck and shoulder were hurting; he'd been planning to drive back down here with the tow truck operator. I told him no; he needed to get to an ER and get checked out. So the Butler County sheriff transported him to the hospital in Oxford, and I headed up there.
I'll skip the details. The bottom line is that the X-rays were fine; he's bruised and will probably feel worse today than he did last night. The car's still up there -- the tow truck guy told Devon he thinks the frame's bent and the car's probably totaled, so towing it all the way down here is a waste of money -- we'll have the insurance people go up there and make the assessment.
In the end, the car doesn't matter. It's just metal and plastic. What matters is Devon.
And I hope it's a long time before we have that phone call again... "Never" would be acceptable.
"Dad, I've been in a wreck."
It's the call every parent hates to get -- and which every parent generally will eventually receive. Your throat closes, your heart rate accelerates, you feel the pusle pounding in your temples. "You OK?"
"Banged up a little. My back's sore. But I'm all right."
The pulse backs down a few digits, The temple pounding recedes, The heart decides it's going to stay in the ribcage for the time being...
Devon had been on his way to visit his grilfriend at Earlham College, on 27 heading into Oxford, OH -- 27 is a two lane state highway, with a speed limit of 50. He was about 30 minutes from home when a school bus two vehicles ahead stopped to let out kids. The car behind the bus stopped, Devon stopped.
The car behind Devon, driven by a Miami student, didn't. She plowed into Devon with her SUV, pushing his Jetta into the car in front. The bus, thankfully, wasn't hit in turn.
I stopped at home for a minute to drop off my school stuff and computer, then headed off to pick up Devon, since the car wasn't drivable. I called Devon back to see how things were going; he said his neck and shoulder were hurting; he'd been planning to drive back down here with the tow truck operator. I told him no; he needed to get to an ER and get checked out. So the Butler County sheriff transported him to the hospital in Oxford, and I headed up there.
I'll skip the details. The bottom line is that the X-rays were fine; he's bruised and will probably feel worse today than he did last night. The car's still up there -- the tow truck guy told Devon he thinks the frame's bent and the car's probably totaled, so towing it all the way down here is a waste of money -- we'll have the insurance people go up there and make the assessment.
In the end, the car doesn't matter. It's just metal and plastic. What matters is Devon.
And I hope it's a long time before we have that phone call again... "Never" would be acceptable.
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