My Brother Madison received a 2004 silver, Jeep Liberty for his high school graduation present. The day he received the jeep, we decided that a road trip, just the two of us, would at last be possible.
After a few days of planning, we finally began our adventure from Arizona to Arkansas and Oklahoma, to visit our friends and family for two weeks. Independence from our parents at last!
We stopped first in Flagstaff, Arizona, where we met with our friend Kyle. After chatting with him for an hour, we continued on our journey, passing through the Navajo Indian Reservation and Albuquerque, New Mexico. We drove all day talking, laughing, and making final memories before he moved to Las Vegas. That night we stayed in Tucumcari, New Mexico at the Quality Inn.
The second day, we drove through Amarillo, Texas. I pumped gas in a small town near Oklahoma City. I started driving on Interstate 40. I set the cruise control at 75 miles per hour. Ten minutes after getting gas, BANG! Like a bird colliding with a glass window, our jeep slammed against a rail.
I could not comprehend what was happening. I refused to believe that we were crashing. I thought that it was a dream.
But why could I hear myself scream as we rolled in the jeep across the side of the road?
Finally we quit rolling. Panicking, I wondered, “Is Madison alive?” After confirming that he was okay, tears began to fall. I could only manage to mutter, “I’m sorry Mad, I’m sorry I wrecked your car, I’m so sorry.”
Sitting in the car, I glanced out the window, shattered from the impact of the crash, and saw a man rushing towards me. He opened the crushed door, helped me out and led me on the grass by the road, next to my brother. Medics and police filled the scene. A paramedic wiped the blood from my eye. Strangers congregated around us. I still could not comprehend what happened.
A police officer finally explained to me that while driving, a tire blew out, which helped me remember more clearly what occurred.
I remembered driving on the four lane highway and all of a sudden hearing a noise, then swerving to the left, my brother shouting “Get over, get over!” I tried to shift over in my lane again, but I overcorrected, slamming into a rail. When we crashed into the rail, the airbags burst out, my face smashed against the window, and I lost consciousness.
While unconscious, we skimmed against the rail: two more tires blew out. After gliding on the rail, I woke up to the jeep rolling, rolling, rolling. It was unquestionably totaled.
I remember being extremely upset that our trip was ruined. Although I knew that it was not my fault that we crashed, my disappointment about the trip was obvious to everyone around me.
But when I look back to the day of the wreck, I realize that I almost died. Only receiving a black eye and a scratch on my face seems miniscule compared to what could have happened.
Because of this experience, I have had an attitude change. I understand that sometimes plans and events do not always occur the way I think it should. I have learned that taking life as it comes, without complaining, is the only way to live happily. My brother and I still bonded during the experience and still created a memory: we will never forget our first trip together when we totaled our vehicle 1000 miles from home!
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