At the end of 2008

It’s the end of 2008. Only 1 hours left. I do not want talk about too much about the whole year. Too many things to remember, to write down. However, I’d like to say something about today only.

This morning, I got into a traffic accident. A young man was knocked down by my car while I drove to office. It’s in the campus, near the west playground. The young man was not wounded badly. It’s on the left leg. Not knocked down directly by car. But by the bicycle while he fell down. After a diagnostics from the hospital. It’s a good news that there’s nothing about the bones. And, the young man also feels not very painful. Finally, I led him to repaired his bicycle. The young man was so kind that he even do not want some money while he left to his office.

I am so scared by the accident at that time, although it is not so dangerous. It’s the first time in these two years that I knocked down a person. The feeling was so bad that I even cannot drive for a while. I have never thought about such a scenario. I had thought that I cannot have such kind of accident. However, while the car behind horn on me, while I speed up at the cross, while the front car hide the person, while the bicycle rush to me, …., it happened suddenly. It happened before I can take any efficient actions. I even could feel the ABS working. But it cannot help too much. It’s such a helpless feeling that the everything out of control in the seconds.

It’s the first time that I get to realize the car is a wild and machine that requires control pretty pretty carefully. And, I really really get the idea of the saying: you can repair a car, but you cannot repair a person. Thanks God that the speed is not too fast, the person is young enough, the reaction is quick, the car is good to control. Finally, the young man turns out to be OK. I wish he will be totally recovered very soon.

Anyway, I MUST remember what happened today. A car can be repaired, a person cannot. And, I wish all the bad luck will go with 2008. Everything will be good in coming days. Surely, I will pay my great effort for that.

Finally, wish everybody a happy and safe new year!

[Updated: Jan 01, 2009]

在2008年的最後一天，我開車撞到了人。一個年輕的小夥子。在西操東北角的十字路口。減速，排隊過路障，起步，轉彎，然後，一切就那么突然地發生了。雖然在第一時間猛然踩下剎車，車子也在瞬間停在路中央，可還是撞到了他的車子。

急忙跳下車，檢查他有沒有傷到，一起去校醫院做外科檢查。看上去沒有了大礙，但是我還是始終放不下心，直到醫生看了X光片，確認了骨頭沒有問題，並且說疼痛是正常的，一點不疼才是危險的，才算是鬆了半口氣。開方、取藥，然後陪著小夥子去修了自行車，目送他繼續上路。要說，他真是一個很和氣的小夥子。看得出還是頗有一些疼的，但是他一直堅持說不要緊，甚至去醫院也是在兩個路過的阿姨和我的強力勸說下才答應的。

這次的經歷真是讓人害怕。所幸沒有出大事兒。不過一起在我事後看來，還是足夠引以為戒的。開車一定要小心。不能確認前方狀況的事後不能認為沒有問題，有行人的路口務必專心，A柱後面一定得看仔細，在學校裡面要時刻記著禮讓。總之，安全第一。在安全面前，速度、油耗、磨損……所有的一切都不那么重要了。也是從心底里想起了哪句話：

“車壞了，是可以修的，人卻不行。”

舊的一年就過去了，希望所有的不快都會隨著時間一起留在過去。新的一年是一切安好、幸福，充滿希望的。祝福左右的人。