Car Accident Lessons
by Mike James
As I exited my local grocery store recently I noticed a large truck near my vehicle. As I got closer there were some store employees milling about the vehicles. After putting my groceries in my trunk I realized the driver of the truck had recently embedded his Ford Silverado into the right front grill of my Toyota Corolla. I had been hit and my car got the raw end of the exchange.
Thankfully I remained extremely calm, cool, and collected. Maybe it was the fact everything had already happened and there was nothing that could be done now. Or maybe it was God’s Holy Spirit working on my mind. The store employees informed me the police had been called. They also informed me that the driver of the truck appeared to be trying to flee the scene before he was confronted and stopped. I stood near my vehicle waiting for the police to arrive.
Before the police arrived the truck driver finally exited his truck and offered his apologies to me. I told him not to worry about it; these things happen. He told me it was his fault and he had been in a hurry. I recalled an accident I had caused years ago. This helped me deal with the present situation. I told him about my previous incident because I knew exactly how he felt. The police arrived and the truck driver and I exchanged insurance information. Luckily, I was able to get my vehicle home before the groceries went bad.
The vehicle had to be fixed before I left Maryland for my move to California. I was planning on towing my car and driving the moving truck. Our van is sitting in my brother’s California garage awaiting my wife and daughter’s arrival by plane. Here is how we got the vehicle fixed as quickly as possible.
After a day of waiting for the perpetrator’s insurance company to call me, I called them. I found out they were having trouble getting a response from the other driver. I decided to take a closer look at the other driver’s registration and license I had taken pictures of. It turned out his license was expired and the registration he showed me was for another car! I was concerned now, but I didn’t lose my head.
I eventually got connected to the insurance agent who was handling my claim. I actually called the other driver to inform him he needed to call the insurance company so they could verify his statement so my car could get fixed. He was more than happy to call them and he did, telling them I needed things expedited because of my upcoming move.
Looking back on this, I learned or relearned a couple of valuable lessons. Lesson one is you can’t change the past. So much time and effort are used in worrying or fretting about what has already happened. Once something happens it is over. You can’t go back and change it. Move forward and address the issue you are now faced with. This is an important lesson for Christians. We are all sinners and in need of the grace of God (Romans 3:23). But don’t forget God’s grace takes away sin (Ephesians 2:8). God is not going to hold past sins over you if you have repented and asked for forgiveness.
I did not get angry at the other driver because I know I once caused an accident due to my haste in the past. And if you have not caused an accident you need to realize, being human, you are very capable of it just like everyone else.
Lesson two is don’t jump to conclusions. In Genesis 20 Abraham tells a half-truth about his wife being his sister. He was fearful the people of the land he was in would kill him and take his wife. God protected him in this situation by speaking to a king in a dream to warn him about taking Sarah. The lesson I get from the story is we need to remain faithful to God despite our circumstances. As long as God is with us we will be okay. When I thought I might have to fix my car with my own money I started to get angry. But I also realized in the same moment there might be another explanation. It turns out the other driver displayed the registration for his wife’s vehicle, but his vehicle was also insured. His invalid license is due to the fact license renewals have fallen behind due to covid.
I hope these two lessons will stick with you as you navigate the ups and downs of life.