I've been in several accidents, but one in 1997 was pretty significant. I was off work for quite a while and have had two surgeries since, and I've been left with a life long disabling situation, and may require more surgery. I don't mean to sound dramatic, I've learned to live with it by pacing, pain management alternatives (I despise pain meds), and changing my priorities and the way I do things. Some things I used to do, I had to give up. I also had severe driving anxiety for a long time, but lately I am winning that battle. I don't talk about it much, and my friends comment that I never complain, I have just adapted. However, it took me years to accept pacing and stuff, because I am a go-getter.

Years ago I was in a roll over accident in the winter time too. Very scary!! I hate driving in the winter, on snowy icy roads! I even have a hard time driving in the rain.

I have been in two major car accidents where the car was totaled. The first one was when I was 19 and my Mom was driving. After seeing no cars we started across, after stopping, at a 4 way stop. The driver coming through, who was going 3 times over the limit, didn't stop. It is amazing both of us survived with very little injuries, though my Mom was in the hospital for almost a week.

The second was on my 30th birthday and it was a heavy rain. It was a green light, but the car in front of me suddenly slammed on their breaks and so did I. I spun on the wet roads and went into the lane next to me and was hit by two cars. Again I walked away. I guess each time I was lucky. And like you said, I can remember every detail of each accident like it just happened. They say when it happens it is like everything is in slow motion, and that is true. I hope I am never in another accident for the rest of my life. I am a VERY cautious driver now.
Clare

It was raining. We were on the freeway going downhill when the car started to fishtail. We were probably doing 65 or so. We spun out of control and bounced off the guardrail. It was an east coast type guardrail where there are cables strung between posts. Lucky we bounced off or we'd be down a cliff. There were lap belts but we didn't have them on. This was before the wearing of seatbelts was mandatory. . I was the passenger. I'm 5'10" and was thrown into the back seat...luckily not out onto the road. We had no significant injuries. We did total a company car though. Whoops.

I owned a 1970-something Buick Skylark that tried to kill me several times. The first time, a front tire blew out on a freeway overpass when I was going about 50 mph. I had to stop in the slow lane because I couldn't get off the overpass.

The second time, I was making a left turn onto a divided street -- saw a car coming, but I should have been going no more than 30 mph. Unfortunately, it was going much faster and t-boned my car. I was send across a safety island, tore down a post, crossed traffic coming in the opposite direction and finally stopped with the front bumper on a cement stairway to a home and all four wheels off the ground because a snowbank was holding the middle of the car up. Incidently, a mailman and a woman pushing a stroller where walking on the sidewalk that my car crossed and I went right between them. No injuries (thank goodness).

Finally, my sister and BIL drove me to get the car and bring it home. They had a ball hitch on their car, so we hooked up a chain to tow my car. Unknown to us, a neighbor's teenager (criminal in training) had taken the bolt out of the hitch. So, when we got moving the hitch ball came loose and flew back at me (I was steering my car) and shattered the windshield. I had to stop the car without power to the brakes or steering.

I got out of that car and absolutely refused to ever get into it again. That car hated me!

I was in a motorcycle accident as a passenger when I was 19 years old. We were going around a sharp curve and the pickup coming towards us was towing a canoe trailer. The trailers fender hit my leg and threw me off the motorcycle and I landed in the street. I didn't realize I was hurt and tried to get up ,I looked at my foot when I couldn't stand right and it was facing backwards ! I had broken my leg in three places. I was in the hospital for 2 weeks.

A second accident happened as my DD and I sat first in line at a stop light and the vehicle behind us didn't stop. He rammed into us,- we had a small station wagon- and the impact pushed us into the intersection.Luckily no one else hit us and we were not injured, but totaled the car.
In the worst one, i had turned left onto a street and a car pulled out of a side street towards me. She had this HUGE boat of a car. i had a Chevy sprint a little car. She was headed right towards me and there was no where for me to go- there were kids waiting for a schoolbus, so I had no where to swerve. She hit me driverside headlight to driverside headlight head-on. I was pinned in the car. Totalled that one too. I had just made the last payment. It had been my first ever new car too ! I was admitted to the hospital, but was released with bruised knees.
I am a firm believer in seat belts.
We joke about it now, but since both cars were blue, my DH say's no more blue cars for you !

Lets see, little brown toyota in 1973, totaled, not my fault. No real damage to me, just shook up. Little old lady turned in front of me.
Blue chevy, in 1977 totaled, not my fault. Going 58 MPH down the highway and the other driver ran his stop sign. Broken femur, and head wound ugly enough to have "plastic surgery".
Black old model chevy in 1979 totaled, not my fault. Got rear ended at a red light. Concussion and whiplash.
Volvo twice, once I ran a stop sign, and the next time I T-boned someone when I turned left out of a grocery store parking lot. Both my fault, and not hurt either time.

Nothing since, and hopefully nothing ever again.

Moni

Most memorable was when I almost went over a cliff near Makapu'u Bay in Hawaii. I was barely 17 and hadn't gotten my license yet. The guy I was with was wasted out of his mind and insisted I drive because I was sober and straight despite my inexperience. Pole/tree? was the only thing that saved us from going over. New Ford Galaxie 500 (classic) was totaled.

We walked away with cuts. No seats belts worn back then. I still have a scar on my back from a shrapnel cut. I do remember the guy started throwing stuff out of his trunk over the cliff before the ambulance arrived.

I was afraid the incident would follow me to the mainland. Apparently the guy had some connections and "fixed" it.

Fast forward a couple of years and he shows up on my doorstep. Not sure how he found me. He'd cleaned up his act I guess and was in the service. Just stopped by to say "hi" while passing through California. Never saw him again.

Everything about that summer trip to Hawaii was strange. The crash was just a blip on the whole experience in retrospect.