Well, I'm still kinda shaken as I sit here, watching a friend careen to his death over and over again in my mind. Today, after school, as I rode home on the bus, a junior by the name of Sven passed my bus on a two lane road, doing well over the 40 mph limit. As soon as he passed the several ton vehicle, he accelerated even more.
Unfortunately, the 16 year old hit a patch of black ice. Probably being the first time he's driven in the wake of a snowstorm, he slammed on his breaks on the black ice (going around 65 mph). Now, for those non-drivers out there-This means he completely lost control of his Honda. It slid into opposing traffic, and Mazda, doing the speed limit but also on ice, slammed into his already out-of-control vehicle. Now, let's do the math.
40 mph for the Mazda,
+65 mph for Sven's Honda..
105 mph
The total force of the impact was the same as the Mazda hitting Sven's passenger side rear (the back 1/4) at about one hundred (100) miles per hour (around 160 kmph). The resulting impact sent the Mazda, who was obviously an experienced driver, spinning into a driveway. The fore of the puny car was smashed.
Sven's Honda was nowhere near that lucky. The honda was flipped twice as it landed in a ditch. I saw all of this from the bus.
Traffic ceased immeadiately. Fourtunately, we were less than a mile from a fire station; The ambulence was less than 3 minutes away. But it was too late.
Sven was pronounced dead at the scene (more than likely from his neck being crushed, but I'm no doctor).
Now, this is a touching story and all. But there is a moral: People (especially teenagers) are just plain stupid. He was a friend, and more than that, a wonderful person. Yet he made one crucial mistake. He was too confident.
Most everyone on this planet is the same way; They always do a little over the speed limit, drink a little more than they should, or pay too much attention to what radio station is playing.
I haven't much else to say. All that I ask is that you give serious thought to what would have happened if this had been someone you know. I don't just ask. I pray.
Lamentingly,
Matt