April Fools!

That is what I wanted to hear today when my car went off the road. But alas, only the words of “are you ok?” from the local Sheriff’s deputy were uttered as I sat at an awkward angle.

Earlier this morning, I was driving on a road close to construction, and there was plenty of dirt on and around the street. It had been raining early that day, so the muddy holes on the edge of the grassy median were mud pits around this time. The construction folks had to drive across the median in order to get to their site, so that would explain the terrain. I, being infinitely stupid at this point in time, took my attention away from the road for a brief moment to change the radio and check the time. There was a slight turn, and I obviously didn’t turn well enough, letting my left front tire get into the mud. My ’98 Explorer started to swerve (those things can flip on a dime) and ended up in a ditch with 3 flat tires, a broken side mirror, and a missing fog light. I wasn’t speeding, had two hands on the wheel, and had my seatbelt on.

Only my pride was hurt, but I was glad to see a Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Deputy on the scene in a matter of seconds. One tow trip later, I sit here typing as a rather depressed guy without a car for who knows how long. Hopefully, only the tires are messed up, because I’d rather not go through having to replace an axle or something like that.

But, not to worry, I did learn a few things from this experience:

1) Don’t make the common mistake of taking your eyes off the road for simple things like messing with your phone, radio, etc.

2) Kudos to Ford for making a fail safe that turns the car off automatically once it takes a hit. I was afraid I had screwed it up worse than we now suspect, but the tow truck man informed me of this feature.

3) Your life can change in 3 seconds, so be careful on the roads.

4) I got to experience what life might be like for a NASCAR driver. Hats off for being so brave during such strange circumstances gentlemen.

5) The Lord was looking over me today. Thank goodness nobody else was around me, or that I didn’t swerve to the other side and end up in an ever worse predicament.

So be wise, and stay sharp on the roads. If a person who had never had anything worse than a minor fender tap can have this happen to them, it can happen to you as well.