“If I could change anything from the accident I wouldn’t have handed her the pictures and just let her drive,” Ashley said. “I wish I could go back and prevent it all from happening.”

It was a normal afternoon for Ashley when her mom picked her up from school. She was beyond excited to go home after a long day, but was even more excited to show her mom her school pictures that she received. Impatient to show off her pink little bow and missing teeth in her smile, she couldn’t wait another second in the car to show her mom her pictures. Little did Ashley know, handing her mom those photos could’ve killed them both. 

“Before I hit my head on the seat, all I could remember was seeing the front end of my moms car go into the back end of a truck,” Ashley said.  

It didn’t occur to Ashley that she was involved in an accident at the time it happened. Once she realized by the sight of the truck in front of her and the screams of her mom, the first thing she thought of was, “Oh my God what just happened?” In the end, Ashley and her mom got very lucky. As there was damage to their car, there were no injuries that would become severe. 

“When we hit the car in front of us, I hit my head on the seat in front of me which resulted in a concussion and a bloody nose,” Ashley said. “As much as the accident was our fault, we were lucky no one got severely injured.”

During this time, Ashley’s dad was working miles away from the site of the accident. Once her mom called him, he began to worry about his daughter who was only 7 years old at the time. 

“My dad was very worried about me,” Ashley said. “He definitely overreacted when he tried to take me to the hospital. I was fine, but he’s an overprotective father so he reacted strongly to the accident.”

 The accident had a big effect on Ashley. Not only did she learn a lifelong lesson, she started to become more aware of her surroundings everywhere she went. As she began to drive on the road alone, she remembered the time when her mom’s life and her own life were put at risk. 

“Still to this day I get anxious when I’m in the car. I don’t like being very close to other vehicles on the road or anything in that matter,” Ashley said. 

Furthermore, Ashley had to live with the idea of being put at risk every time she’s behind the wheel. One important note she took away from the accident was the fact that “you put not only your life, but someone else’s life at risk.” She never knew how important it was to pay attention while driving until she witnessed the loss of awareness first hand.  

“I was pretty young when the accident happened,” Ashley said. “But I definitely realized how dangerous driving can actually be.”

The road is a dangerous place. There are laws and rules drivers follow to decrease the risk factors. Although there are tactics to decrease this, it doesn’t mean there are no risks. Anything can happen within seconds, good or bad. Ashley couldn’t have prepared herself for something she didn’t see coming, but she knew she could’ve prevented it if she would’ve waited till she got home to show her mom the pictures. 

“When I woke up that morning, I didn’t know I was gonna be in an accident that evening, so I went on with my day like any other would,” Ashley said. “So even if you don’t think something bad can happen to you, it most definitely can at any given moment.”