I was traveling on a two lane road through a rural area early in the morning. A large semi was in front of me, so I got into the opposite lane to pass. Just as I cleared him, I hit black ice at 60 miles an hour.
My small truck swerved violently all over the road before hitting a ditch and rolling three times. As my truck veered out of control, I refused to believe this was happening to me. When the truck rolled, I recall thinking that death was inevitable, unavoidable. I was just a soft fragile thing encased in the hollow of collapsing, rolling metal and I didn't have a chance. I had a sense that death was an enormous, ravenous dragon and I was going to be devoured. Disbelief and terror were the dominating states of mind during those brief dangerous seconds. My eyes were open the entire time.
The view from the windshield was a moving mosaic of tiny bits of color, and I felt as if the dragon was there, close, waiting. I thought about my mom and how she'd take the news of my death (I'm an only child).
My truck landed right side up, with all four tires blown out. I took a terrible bump to the head, and broke my thumb. I didn't even know I had rolled...only that I was surrounded by an intense energy, vibrant color, and a loud cacophony of mixed noises...shattering glass and bending metal. My injuries were minor, but the emergency personnel were amazed I was all right. I was in great shock afterward. It was an intensely terrifying experience.
