I created this blog to share life's exhilarating experiences: hot lesbian dates, turning long distance relationships into same-bed relationships...that kind of thing. I didn't create this blog to inform you what it would be like to drive into a deer at 60mph. But it happened and I have a blog, so here goes...
Yeah, it really did happen.
Yeah, it was fucking unreal.
Okay, I'll get to the details. Patience people!
I dropped Jason off Sunday evening following a great weekend that included Adventureland, milkshakes and playgrounds. Everything leading up to the drop off and the subsequent drive home went as smoothly as the previous 180 something weekends I've had him since becoming the coolest single dad around. Only, as I was leaving I realized it was 7:15pm and nearly 30 minutes later than my usual departure. So I made the decision not to stop off at the Patchogue Starbucks for an iced coffee as I typically do on my way home. Knowing I was going to be making the hour long trip sans a pit stop, I used the bathroom before leaving. Every second counts...
With an empty bladder, I said goodbye to Jason, Dylan, Natalie and Bella (who usually has an empty bladder when she sees me, but that's a tale for another blog post) and hit the road. Typical fall Sunday night, typical fall Sunday night traffic.
Heading west on Sunrise Highway all was calm as I was passing through the Moriches area. No one in front of me. No one behind me. Relaxing.
And then what happened next took one and a half seconds max.
I was driving in the right lane doing a few clicks north of 60mph. Sometimes you can spot deer grazing by the shoulder of the road. But that's where they typically remain. Then, in an instant, a deer ran right in front of my car from the median. Impact was imminent. He was running from left to right. He was too close for me to shed any speed. Fate is a funny thing. No one in front of me, no one behind me. Impact. He flew up and to the right. There was no way he survived. At that moment I was thankful that I drove a Santa Fe and nothing else with a lower hood (the reasons why should be obvious).
I continued driving west. The car seemed undamaged and drove well, smooth with no rattling or anything to give me a reason to stop. About 20 minutes later I called Maureen and let her know what happened. She asked if I was okay and if the car was okay. Yes to both.
As I exited off the Southern State Parkway and onto Route 109 west in Farmingdale I spotted a trooper who pulled someone over on the exit ramp. I slowed down to pass them. Then as I accelerated I noticed a cloud of smoke in my rearview mirror. Trouble. Then as I pulled onto Route 109 and pulled onto the shoulder I noticed smoke coming from under the hood. More trouble.
I took my phone and left the car before saying goodbye to Maureen and then calling 911. Turns out the front of my car sustained a decent amount of damage, including a busted radiator which accounted for the overheating and smoke. The car is in the shop and will be repaired in time. And from what many people have said, I am fine and that's the important thing.
.
It was one of the most freakish, scariest and saddest moments of my life. And it all happened in an instant. For whatever the reason, this world works in funny ways. Had the deer crossed the road two seconds earlier or two seconds later our paths would have crossed without incident. Had I decided to stop at Starbucks and skipped the bathroom before hitting the road, that deer would have safely crossed the highway and my radiator would still be functioning properly. But as fate would have it, that deer and I met at the exact same place at the exact same time.
