Ejected from my own car and now I'm wondering if I'll ever feel normal again
I've been sitting on this for a few months because honestly I didn't know how to talk about it without breaking down. Back in early spring I was driving home from a late shift — a route I've done probably five hundred times. Roads looked clear-ish but there was this invisible patch of black ice on a curve I never even thought twice about.
My car went sideways instantly. I remember the guardrail coming up and then nothing. I came to maybe thirty feet from the car in a drainage ditch. Just... outside. The door didn't even open — investigators later said the roof partially separated on impact. I didn't know I was hurt at first. I actually stood up and took two steps toward the road before my left leg just gave out completely. Didn't feel it. Adrenaline is a wild thing.
A passing commuter spotted the wreck maybe fifteen minutes later and called it in. I had no idea where my phone was. Turned out it was under the front seat, which was now on the embankment twenty feet away.
I ended up with a fractured pelvis, a broken collarbone, and a pretty serious concussion. Surgery. PT three times a week. I'm walking but it doesn't feel like my walk yet, you know?
What I'm really struggling with now is the aftermath stuff — the insurance process feels like a second accident. The other driver's carrier is acting like this was partly my fault because of speed, even though the road condition report clearly backs me up. My own policy feels like it's dragging its feet.
Has anyone dealt with a serious ejection or rollover injury and actually gotten through the claims process? How long did it take? Did you hire someone or go it alone?