By Karah Bosmeijer
 |
| Karah and her husband, Ian. |
It was almost the end of my
senior year. Five days earlier I had joined the cheerleading team at Garden
City Community college, and in two weeks, I would graduate from high school. I
had just finished cheer practice and was headed home to Deerfield, a small,
rural community on U.S. 50 in southwest Kansas. A list of everything I still
needed to do before graduation was running through my head as I passed the U.S.
83 truck stop.
I texted friends and family,
asking if they were going to attend my graduation ceremony. As I started to
receive their responses, I looked up to see a semi with a flatbed trailer
rolling to a stop in front of me, as the driver waited for traffic to clear so
he could turn. At 65 mph, there was
little time to hit the brakes. Crashing into the flatbed was just the beginning
of one of scariest experiences I have ever encountered.
The force of the accident was
great enough to destroy the front half of the car and shatter every window, but
the driver of the semi was oblivious to the crash. The semi started to turn, dragging me with
it. Panicking, I honked my horn and was eventually discovered by the driver.
There I sat, feeling the heat
from the asphalt, sitting next to the rumble strips and holding a towel full of
blood to my forehead. I watched as strangers, firefighters, EMT, police
officers and friends recognized my car and stopped to help me. Being young and
invincible, it took me years to realize how amazingly blessed I am. Thinking
about how many people’s lives I put in danger, and how my friends and family
could easily be dealing with my thoughtless actions in a much different way is
terrifying.
Today, I work for a company
that is extremely invested in their safety culture. As I learn and grow every
day I am constantly reminded to TAKE TWO. Taking two extra seconds to Stop!
Think! Then Act! The three key
principles that are implemented into our daily routine are:
- Do it safely or not at all.
- There is always time to do it safely.
- Care for each other’s health, safety and security.
Safety. Always. Everywhere.
Karah (Miller) Bosmeijer is the Administrative Coordinator / Division Trainer for Nutrien Ag Solutions in Garden City.
Thankful that you are safe and sound 10 years after the crash. And such great advice you have shared! Yes, drivers should Take Two. And after sending that text message, put the phone away until the drive is over.
ReplyDeleteSo glad that you were ok, that sounds very scary. I like all your bullet points and it's so true - there is always time to do it safely. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've known several young people who decided that texting couldn't wait .... they passed away and are sorely missed! Be safe and take those few extra seconds.
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