I was going through some hard times at home and I needed space. My parents were fighting again and I wanted to get away. I called my best friend Dylan, who took care of me and treated me like his own, to come and pick me up so we could go for a drive with no specific destination just a long deadly road ahead.

While waiting for Dylan outside I watched as the sun slowly started to die and I began to shiver as it grew colder and colder. I looked down the street as blinding head lights came flying around the corner. I hopped into Dylan’s car and we flipped a coin on which direction to go. We both shared our problems at home and how we wished for a better life, but we both knew this wish wouldn’t come true. After a while we both lost track of time and realized we were lost. We started heading back hoping things had calmed down at home but we knew calm wasn’t in our families vocabulary. Dylan was telling jokes as we both cried out in laughter and then suddenly we looked up as blinding head lights were bearing down on me once again. Dylan shouted hold on but I knew there was no escape. My last conscious thought as I heard tires screeching and glass shattering was the memories of my family. Everything was pitch black, my legs were numb, my ears were ringing, I smelled gasoline, and I felt the warm blood rushing down my face.

Feeling completely disoriented and falling in and out of consciousness I opened my eyes and looked around at what was left of the car. In that moment I didn’t know if Dylan and I would survive or be added to the list of 3,287 victims that die in car accidents every single day.

Finally I arrived at the hospital screaming for Dylan rushing through the halls heading towards the ER. I begged the nurses to tell me if Dylan was alive, sensing there was no hope. I desperately tried standing in search for him but I had yet to regain feeling in my legs. Listening to the doctor’s chatter I knew we were a part of a fatal drunk driving accident, but who was the fatality. Someone dies every 51 minutes in a car accident with alcohol involved and I thought Dylan was another tally. By the grace of God Dylan pulled through and I had realized how fragile and fleeting our lives can be. Thus putting into perspective what is truly important.