I would have wanted to die, too.

A near-death experience. I had to wait almost 80 years. For my first one. But some how, we escaped. Miraculously. With no more than cuts and bruises. Not only me. But my Italian amore, Cristina. And another Italian friend, Giovanna. Hard to believe. If you looked at our car. Smashed. A total wreck. Inside Yellowstone National Park.  A rude interruption to our vacation. When a mammoth recreation vehicle. Veered into our lane of traffic. And headed straight for us. It happened so fast. In an instant. A fraction of a second. But it seemed like time had slowed. Time to think. Possibly my last thoughts. Forever. Must be someone intent on committing suicide, I initially surmised.. He wasn't going to avoid us. He was going to hit us. Head-on. As if it was intentional. A suicide mission. Just before impact, I turned left. Maybe that's what saved our lives. Made for sort of a T-bone collision. Rather than a full-blown head-on. Prevented the motor from coming into the vehicle and crushing us. Still, on impact, I felt we were certain goners. But I never lost consciousness. Nor did the others. Our seat belts and air bags saved us. We were able to climb from the wreckage. Almost unscathed. On our feet. Incredible. Incredible. To be alive. And walking, too. Five minutes after the crash, Cristina had camera in hand. Taking pictures of the wreckage.  A confirmation. That she was all right. I reached into the back seat, to help a stunned Giovanna to safety. Then I felt a pang of joy. With the permeating knowledge. That we had all survived. Intact. Wasn't until we were all riding to the hospital. In an ambulance.  That I became aware. I was in shock. Trembling. So badly. That I couldn't fill out the forms handed to me by the police and paramedics. In the hospital, I cried. When the thought occurred. What would I have done? If Cristina and  Giovanna had perished.  I would have wanted to die, too. --Jim Broede

A MOMENTARY INTERRUPTION

If I had died instantly. On impact. My last living thought would have been, 'This guy is on a suicide mission.  He wasn't going to avoid us. He was going to hit us. Head-on. It was intentional.' Turns out. The driver claimed something went wrong with his steering. A mechanical malfunction. I'm skeptical. As I wait for the results of the investigation. Coming in two or three weeks. So many possibilities. In my fertile imagination. Maybe the driver of the RV was having an argument with his wife. Maybe he fell asleep. Maybe he was drunk. Maybe he was phone texting. Maybe. Maybe. So many maybes. I'll try to keep an open mind. Just give me the facts.  The most important one, of course, is that we all are alive. It wasn't a tragedy.  Merely an accident. A momentary interruption in our wonderful and blessed lives. --Jim