Victoria GricksIt was the Friday night before Parents Weekend, and my friends and I were in search of something to do. After walking around campus for a while with no such luck, we bumped into another friend.

After a little bit of talking, we discovered that he was having the same kind of night as us. And after some more talking and a phone call, we all decided to go to his friend’s house. Finally, we had plans.

My roommate’s car was parked close by, so we started walking to where it was. Once we got to it, I was asked to drive. I was skeptical at first, seeing as how it wasn’t my car, but I agreed to do it anyway.

We stayed at the friend’s place for a little while, but after about an hour, we left. But the night was still young, and no one wanted to go back to campus. So, we decided to go to Gannon. Random, I know.

And that’s when it happened: the car accident.

There was a four-way intersection and the light was red, so I stopped. It was late at night, though, and I didn’t think there would be many cops around, so I made a left turn before the light even turned green. (I know, I know – never go left until it’s your turn. It was a stupid decision.)

I never saw the truck coming, and before I knew it, it hit the front left side of the car. I can’t recall the exact moment of the collision, but I remember the airbags going off, the car being completely out of my control, the smell of the smoke and the sound of screaming.

Somehow, the car rolled into a parking lot. None of us knew what to do until my roommate started yelling for everyone to get out of the car. I was shaking and crying, but I managed to do what she said.

We all had some bumps and bruises, but no one was as hurt as the person in the truck. I will never forget looking up and seeing the guy stumbling toward me, covered in blood. To this day, the image makes me shudder.

I couldn’t take what had just occurred, so I sat on the ground. I was in my own world, and thoughts were rushing through my head. I didn’t snap out of it until the police came and started asking me questions.

I had to talk to them for a while, and that was pretty scary, but once everything was sorted out, they drove me back to campus.
Now that you know what happened, let me tell you what I have learned from all of this.

Yes, I made a mistake, but who doesn’t? No one is perfect. Once you realize that, you’ll be better off. And do you want to know what really matters? Whether or not you can look in the mirror and be proud of who you are.

You also have to understand this: The past is the past. You can’t stay hung up on something that is already over and done with. If you do, you will never move forward. I’m not telling you to forget things that have happened, but don’t let them take over your life.

So, here’s to imperfection and the future.