Thursday, December 09, 2010

And run

On my walk to campus Monday morning, I was crossing the street when a woman driving a small SUV sideswiped my wheelchair, spinning me around and scraping down the length of the vehicle. I'm lucky: I'm unhurt, and my wheelchair is undamaged, thank God. I was stunned - I looked up and could see the driver. She was on her cellphone, looking over her shoulder, her lips moving fast. I glared at her, still shocked. She sped off, tearing around a corner. She was gone.

I looked myself over again to make sure I wasn't injured. I wasn't, so I went on my way. It was the last day of our semester and I didn't want to miss my students.

10 comments:

Ivy said...

Thank goodness you're okay! That's shocking.

Delia said...

I am so glad you are alright. That is absolutely horrible.

V. Wetlaufer said...

I don't know you, but I'm a fan of your work and a poet, too. I just had to comment on this.


This is just so awful. Shame on her. I'm so glad you're okay. A friend of mine from my MFA was killed earlier this year when a girl hit her wheelchair crossing the street in a crosswalk on campus. The girl was texting and speeding through the 25mph zone. What is wrong with people?

Paul said...

I was shocked! "That did not just happen," I said to myself. I wasn't able to get her tag number. I wish I had.

Ivy said...

Maybe your campus has CCTV footage (if it was on-campus)?

Paul said...

Just off, just across the street...

Suzanne said...

I was so livid when I read this that I had to wait to respond. I'm calm now. I am so relieved/happy/grateful that your are OK, Paul. Happy Holidays to you & yours my friend. xo Love, S.

Paul said...

Thanks, Suzanne. It was weird - I know all too well what it's like to have a close call, if you will - and this wasn't really that, in the end. But it could have been. The driver collided into my chair, spun it sideways, and scraped the length of her SUV against my chair. That's just this side of Real Bad.

A. J. Patrick Liszkiewicz said...

Holy crap!

I'm glad you're ok, Paul. Hope the holidays are treating you well! :)

M. Walker said...

Paul, you might not remember me, but you gave a reading for Kate Daniels' poetry workshop at Vanderbilt a couple years ago. I'm currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at CalArts.

Reading this entry, I'm absolutely shocked, and gratified that you were not harmed in the accident.

Hoping the best for you, and looking forward to reading more of your poems.

-Mt