I was so scared I tried to do the smart thing and roll myself to the middle so I wouldn’t get hit, but I rolled the wrong way. I rolled to left when I should’ve gone to the right or I could have just stayed where I was, but I never realized that. With just that one decision my entire life changed, for the worse. When I rolled to left my head was in the path of the back left tire. I can remember it like it was yesterday, I put my face to the pavement praying that everything would be okay.
It was a very humid August day. My mom, my brother and I were walking out of Outback Steakhouse. I remember what I was wearing that day, a red and pink shirt with hearts on it, jean shorts, and jelly flip flops that were almost worn completely down. We had just eaten there and were walking in the parking lot to get to our car. It was a very hot summer day I could feel the sweat start to form on the back of my neck from the sun’s rays beaming down on it. Most of the cars parked really far up on the sidewalk my mom and I decided to walk in the parking lot, thinking nothing of it. My brother wanted to be cool and walk on the sidewalk and jump over the cars, I thought, “Wow he’s so dumb, why doesn’t he just walk with us?” Then I figured I should have done the same, and that from then on I will walk on the sidewalk for the rest of my life.

We were in the middle of two rows of cars in the parking lot. We had just gotten off of the sidewalk in the front of the restaurant and I fell behind my mom’s speed a little, but she wasn’t too far ahead of me. Then that’s when it all happened in what seemed to be a matter of seconds.

In the midst of walking slowly and in the middle of the parking lot, something terrible happened. I remember what I was thinking about right before it all happened. “I’m so nervous! Second grade man! Ugh but I heard Mr. Tierney is mean!” Then I walked behind this brown truck that was backing out. I stopped right where I was, behind the truck, thinking in my stupid little mind that the truck would stop backing out, but it didn’t. Then the bumper hit my hip knocking me down to the ground. The truck continued to back out of its parking space, not realizing that I was underneath his truck the whole time.

In the middle of my frantic thinking and trying to figure out what to do the back left tire ran over the entire back of my head smashing my face to the pavement, and at that moment my whole life consisting of eight years flashed before my eyes. I saw good moments and not so good moments and that’s when I knew I wasn’t coming out of this alive. I can remember witnesses screaming and saying “There’s a child under there!” But most of all the gut wrenching scream of my older brother watching it all happen from the sidewalk. It sounded as though he had just been shot, the worst sound I think I have ever heard.
After the full tire had just gone over my head the driver stopped and opened his door. He was and older looking man, hair was just turning gray, a couple of wrinkles, with a terrified look in his eyes. I lifted my head and I was still under his truck and I looked down at my body to see if anything else had happened and the front tire was inches away from my leg. If it would have gone any further it would have completely crushed the bones in my right leg. Then I looked up and I saw my mom drop to her knees thinking the worse thing had just happened. Other strangers rushed over to me. As I crawled out from the truck my mom’s jaw just dropped in amazement. She screamed over and over again “ Oh My God!!” People were telling me not to move. Something might really be hurt. One lady said “Sweetheart! Don’t move we are calling the ambulance right now!” Others just sat there and watched me like I was some freak show. But I had to get out of there and then my mom ran over and helped me. I thought that I couldn’t have survived that, that I should be in heaven right now, but I wasn’t. That was the confusing part.
I didn’t stand up, just crawled over to the next parking spaces’ concrete parking barrier. It was there were my mom just held me like a baby again crying and thanking God that I was still alive. I think one of the ladies that witnessed it called 911 and kept telling me that they were their way. My mom called my grandparents to tell them what happened and they got there faster than the ambulance. I don’t remember much from the time I came out from under the truck and my mom holding me on the ground. My mom said the first thing I said when I came out was “Oh, my gosh, that truck was so heavy!” When the ambulance showed up, I started getting really scared that something bad could really be wrong because they were putting a neck brace on me and strapping me to a stretcher. I was confused because it felt like to me that nothing was wrong. I think I kept drifting in and out of consciousness on the ride to the hospital because I don’t remember it at all, I barely remember what happened at the hospital.
I remember the doctor telling my family and me that they are just amazed because the only damage I had was a concussion. All I knew about a concussion back then was that I couldn’t go to sleep or the effects could be damaging. So that night I had to drink sodas and got to eat ice cream and candy, the reason being to help me stay up through the night but I also think they wanted to spoil me a little bit.
Through that whole ordeal, everything was fine and I was extremely lucky. I did not get hurt, but it taught me to appreciate everything and everyone that I have in my life. I realized that I should never take anything for granted; I took the people around me for granted thinking they will always be there and not show my appreciation to them for what they do for me. I took for granted my things and the love everyone shared with me, but the most important thing I took for granted was my own life. Never take your life granted always be appreciative and grateful for everything you have because in a second it can be taken away. So live life everyday like it could be your last. I will never forget that experience and the knowledge that came with it.