Rose basketball highlights
Car accident teaches student appreciation
SAT.| 1-02-21 | FEATURES
The year 2020 has presented challenges to many. First, a deadly pandemic ran rampant around the country spreading virtually undetected, while countries were left unprepared. The 2020 presidential election created divisions across the country that were never before seen as voters became more divided on issues and candidates than they had ever been in history. Also, the Black Lives Matter movement reached never-before-seen popularity and caused protests all around the country protesting after George Floyd and Breona Taylors deaths. In addition to all of this disaster that the year 2020 has caused, one junior, Sloan Carlson, has been faced with even more struggles.
What started off as a relatively normal year
Picture contributed by Sloan Carlson
for Carlson quickly turned bad at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Being stuck in her house for long periods of time without human contact was very different for Carlson than how she normally led her life. This experience was sad, lonely and boring. Just as things started to turn up for Carlson at the beginning of Phase 2 and she began to adjust to her new normal, life came and knocked her right back down again. On July 27 at about 2:15, Carlson was on the way home from her friend’s house when she got into a horrible car accident.
“I got T-boned by another vehicle going 60 miles per hour that gave me a torn spleen and put me in the hospital to get stitches on my face,” Carlson said.
She was very badly injured after this crash, and her life changed dramatically. What was supposed to be a normal day with her friends turned into a life - threatening nightmare.
“I do not remember anything, but I was told I was going through a green light and a man that had just stolen a vehicle from a gas station was running from the cops and ran through a red light,” Carslon said.
Even after the trauma from the crash was over, she was left with a huge scar running across her forehead and the injury to her spleen took over two months to recover from. In addition to the physical injuries that she sustained, Carlson’s car was destroyed.
“My car was completely totaled with airbags deployed and windshield shattered,” Carlson said.
Although this experience was very traumatic and turned her year around completely because the accident was near fatal, Carlson came out of her wreck with a new outlook on how precious life is.
“It made me be appreciative for what I have, knowing my story could have ended another way,” Carlson said. “It has also made me a much more cautious and defensive driver and to pay attention at all times.”
After the two months that it took to heal Carlson’s spleen, she was left with no lasting health problems other than a scar on her forehead. This experience made her see how fragile life is and how fast it can be gone. It also reminded her to always live life to its fullest and cherish the times with loved ones.
