One winter I was driving home from work in a snowstorm that turned into an ice storm. I thought I was driving very carefully. My little mini cargo van however did not always have the best traction in slippery conditions.
I was traveling on a road that had appeared to be sufficiently maintained under the circumstances. It was a state route so this was expected. Nevertheless I was still cautious. The road had a set speed limit of 55 miles per hour and therefore I felt safe at around 40 miles per hour. Everything seemed fine.
Until the road reached a curve. It was a mild curve but there was an awful sheet of ice across the road. As I approached the curve I could actually see the ice. Had I continued as straight as possible I may have avoided any danger. Instead I tried averting the ice patch. As a result my van took me into a series of violent spins. I think I spun at least 4 times. Then the van went off the road and through a flower bed along a residents driveway and finally into their front yard.
I was physically unscathed and the van ended up only having some minor under carriage damage from some rocks that were dispersed among the flowers. I also did some damage to the house owners front lawn.
But here is the most bizarre part of the story. As I was driving I had been drinking a bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper with a twist cap. The cap was off and in a cup holder to my right in a consule between the drivers seat and the passenger seat. When the van came to a complete stop and I gathered myself together I realized the most incredible thing. The bottle that was in my left hand was now in the cup holder with the cap twisted back on it. That gave me a freaky feeling mixed together with all the emotions running through me.
At some point during all of the spinning and the all out panic of all the horrible things that could result from this accident, my subconscious decided that my soda should be safely placed in the cup holder.
When I think back I still get goosebumps from that combined with a nice little "Wow how in the world did that just happen?" feeling rushing over me. It made terrible experience have a positive memorable ending.
