Brett Alan’s First Car Accident [PHOTOS]

I have always considered myself to be a safe driver.  I’ve been driving since I was 16 and am now 34 years old.  That means that I’ve been driving for 18 accident free years.  That changed yesterday as I experienced my first accident.

It was a moment that could have been avoided too if I would have just done what I originally left my house to do.  I had some errands to run and I had the kids with me.  Monday was a beautiful day and I thought I might surprise my wife by getting the new car clean inside and out.  But on my way to the carwash I saw Ralph Wilson Stadium and thought I’d stop into the Bills Store to get my son a jersey to wear to our first Bills game.  That was my mistake.

As I made the turn down Abbott Road I got excited to share another football related exciting memory with my son.  However, that was quickly shut down as I tried to make the left hand turn onto One Bills Drive and I saw another vehicle headed toward mine.

I feel like everything started to move in slow motion.  I saw the guy coming but couldn’t seem to get out of the way.  Plus I didn’t want the impact to happen at my son’s door.  So as I’m yelling at the guy to stop (I know…weird that he didn’t hear me right?) I braced for impact.  Why didn't I just go get the car washed like I planned on doing??

The next thing I remember there’s coffee all over the ceiling and passenger side door and I’m pulling off to the side of the road.  The other guy got out to make sure we were ok and after I found out that the cars were both still drivable, we headed to a safer spot to exchange information.

One thing that I was always taught was to remain calm after an accident as flaring tempers only breed flaring tempers.  It’s hard to do when someone just hit the vehicle your children were just riding in but somehow clearer heads prevailed.  We did everything according to the book and I was on my way.

Even still, every time I think about the accident, I think of how lucky I was.  Many people say lucky is staying out of accidents completely.  But it could have been worse.  Plastic and metal can be replaced.  I walked away with both of my children all in one piece.  That’s pretty lucky in my book.