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Before My Eyes

I was almost hit by a car this morning. I've had near misses before, but this was the nearest, scariest miss ever. I'd been out for a morning walk and was on my way back from a stop at Whole Foods when I reached the northernmost side of the Ben Franklin Parkway while walking south on 21st Street.

The light turned green, so I started to run (you can't make it all the way across in one light if you walk), first crossing the small side road and then the Parkway itself. I had just crossed the median when a car turned in front of me. It wasn't a turn I would have made had I been driving; a moment's pause, and that car could have turned behind me. It turned a good four paces in front of me, though, so it wasn't a big deal.

The next car that turned is the one that nearly hit me. Al said later that I should have kicked it, but I even if I'd had the presence of mind to do so, I didn't have enough room. I'm not sure how the tires missed my toes, in fact, nor how I managed to go from a running stride to a dead stop so quickly; I think it was probably that I naturally recoiled in fear when I saw the car enter my peripheral vision. I shrieked, "JESUS CHRIST!" like an insane person, and then just stood there in the middle of the road, staring after the car as it sped away. I was so shaken that I then yelled, "YOU COULD HAVE FUCKING KILLED ME!", but by that point the car was already at the next light.

I didn't think to get the license number of the vehicle—too much fear and adrenaline for logic—but I've never been more sure in my life that it was a very light blue metallic BMW 325 sedan (I think an xi). I couldn't see the driver at all because of the reflection from the morning sun, so I don't know whether s/he was on a cell phone, how s/he could have missed seeing me, nor whether s/he noticed my hip bones outside the driver's side window as s/he floored it, tires squealing.

Twenty-first Street is one-way, southbound. There is no oncoming traffic to distract left-turning drivers. The only obstacle in those drivers' paths would be a pedestrian in the crosswalk. Today I was that obstacle, that pedestrian. And I was almost mowed down.

I finally reached the other side in safety, still shaking in anger and fear, and noticed a homeless man on a bench. He waved. I said, "did you SEE that?" He pointed at his eyes with his first two fingers and replied, "I saw the WHOLE THING. Can't believe it." We shook our heads at each other, and then I called Al and burst into tears. I. Could. Have. Been. Killed.