How I Hit the Car in Lot 8 - Essay Example

It gives me immense disappointment, embarrassment and it is with utmost regret that I accept that it was I who hit the car in Lot 8. Of course, it was unintentional, however, that does not excuse me from driving off. I guess my judgment was clouded because I was in haste to reach home. The pre-occupancy of my mind is what I believe led to my backing into another car, in the first place. The haziness of my perception resulted in a lack of accuracy while reversing my vehicle and accidentally ended up striking another vehicle. My decision to drive off was even more unintentional than the act itself. Being in a hurry to get home, the thought to get down and check the stricken car did not even cross my mind and without notifying the owner of the other car I drove away. It was not in my knowledge that the damage to the other vehicle was of such intensity; in fact, at that point in time the idea of any significant damage had not entered my mind. Maybe there might have been a “thud” however, to my mind then the sound must have been inaudible. The stress under which I had been driving proved to be my distraction and clouded my better judgment. The pre-occupancy of schoolwork, deadlines, examinations, distressing my teachers and the anger of my awaiting parents at home all swirled within my head, tugging for my attention and consequently caused my head to spin. This stress then coupled with a headache is my only excuse to having overlooked the right way of handling the situation. I must admit here that somewhere in the back of my mind the thought of this incident did linger; yet I tried to push it further back to dismiss it. The more I tried the more it came back to me and the more it began to feel real. I began to realize the possibility of actually having struck the car behind me and the thought disturbed me. I contemplated of the idea a few times but always winded up assuring myself that no such thing had happened. Guilt would spread over me at the mere thought of my suspicion being true. I said to myself, and then my discourse following the incident should have been otherwise. It was not easy wrenching away the guilt that crept over me but I could not muster the courage to own up to my mistake. Would anyone believe my innocence after I had driven off or would I even be heard at all in my plea for innocence? These questions haunted me and frightened me out of doing the honorable act of making things right. Having never been in such a situation, I began to wonder if I had hurt anybody, directly or indirectly. Had there been people in that car? Some lady or children maybe… it is not that I am not mindful of who I might have impacted with my actions. I am very much mindful and in fact even more reproachful at the thought of having affected other people due to my absented-mindedness and lack of correct judgment. My indecision to stop the car and look back at my action could have hurt someone, mentally if not physically. I believe it is imperative that I explain to you what exactly happened. As I have stated earlier, I was in a hurry and was being summoned home by my furious parents. I drove the car without realizing that there were other cars in the parking lot too. There could have been people roaming around, in the parking lot, children, in particular, who are to be taken extra care of. And yes, I drove without giving a proper look around the lot. As I reversed my car, it screeched and I felt a minor jolt. Heavy rain falls the other day made it worse and when I hit my brakes, my car skid into the car right behind mine, but I guess, that is not to blame because I was hardly a few inches away when I decided to hit the brakes. Ever since the incident, it has been hard for me to accept the fact that I may have been of harm to someone, regardless of the nature of the harm, which in this case was both personal and financial. As already stated earlier, the more I tried to forget the incident, the more I was reminded about it and soon until I accepted the offence, my eyes were circled with the most disturbing and devastating images, which will continue to haunt me for some time now. I was unsure about any casualties, if there were any. I was unsure of the financial loss, the car incurred. I was even uncertain of the fact whether there were passengers in the car or not. I knew I was guilty. I knew there was a possibility that I might be punished and I also knew that I would lose all the respect and fame, I had earned as the Valedictorian and Captain of the regional athletics team. It would all go in vain. I even thought of going back and checking out how the scenario there in the Parking Lot 8 had framed itself, but the underlying guilt and the timidity in me took its toll and I kept sitting in the quietest, darkest corner of my room, with all the lights switched off and stared continuously through the window as a thought process went on. As I quickly left, as soon as the cars hit, it may be very complex for me to understand and interpret the magnitude of this incident and its impact. I do not know whether it was minor or whether it was widespread. I have no idea whether it affected none or hundreds. But I am certain that if the car, that I hit, had people in it, they must be in an utter state of trauma and shock, for I can imagine the effect that something so undesirable, so unexpected and so sudden, can leave on one’s mind. My foremost concern relates to the children, in that car, if there were any. Such incidents often tend to leave an adverse imprint on those young, tender and impressionable minds of the children and if this does happen, it can leave a temporary deleterious impact on the child’s life causing disturbances during sleep, nightmares, not wanting to be left alone, fear and certain types of phobias, making the life of both parents and the children, miserable and difficult. Yes, I speak from the knowledge I gained in my Psychology class and experience. An experience which killed the dignity in me, which was embedded by my parents and made me a weakling, that caused these innocent people, the suffering today. However, as said earlier, the extent of damage in form of the impact is not known to me. The elderly react to such situations, in a similar manner as the children. They often get panicky and do not understand, rather forget how the situation has to be dealt. The side effects of the traumatic incident too are in similarity with those of the children. I apologize, if I became a source of causing trauma, disturbance and ordeal to any woman, child or an elderly person, moreover any living human being. It was inadvertent and belonging to the intelligentsia of the society, I was taught not to do so. I consider it my moral obligation and ethical duty to make an offer to bear the expenses for the harm caused by my irresponsible attitude. The harm caused in this case, as stated earlier, falls under the umbrella of personal harm, as well as financial harm, I assure to the authorities, and all stakeholders concerned that I will try my best to cover, all the damages. My past experiences with the dealing of finances act as a deterrent whenever I talk about issues which involve money and the world today, with the growing poverty and the inflation, cannot be trusted with money either. Therefore, I would propose and offer all the material help I can provide. For example, I can purchase the spare parts for your car that are to replace the damaged ones if any and can pay for their repair, if applicable. Similarly, in the case of personal injuries caused to the passengers in the car, I would be more than willing to stand all the medical and surgical costs, until they are discharged from the hospital. Therefore, in short, I shall be covering all the expenditures caused as a result of this accident and mistake of mine, regardless of any external aspect or anything in particular, or general. This unfortunate and unexpected incident would most certainly widen the existential social gap and make it irreparable and severe. It has become obvious to me by now, after the procedures undergone and the reaction of the Public Services and the Police Force, that this would become the factor, where I, once inseparable, may be separated from the society; I have grown up in and loved it all along. I might be alienated from the rest of the public or I may be forced to alienate myself, voluntarily after the humiliation I am expecting to receive in the next few days. I already have been labeled as an offender by the Public Services and the Police Force and I am certain that soon the fame and the popularity, that I had earned as a student and as a sportsperson, over all these years would be tarnished and crumbled in no time and from being the brightest student and the Valedictorian in high school and the gold medalist in athletics and also being referred to as the “society’s pride”, I would end up being charged and imprisoned, for a minute mistake that I committed. It seems to me and I can sense the essence of disownment from the society, as on my way to the interrogation center of the Public Services and the Police Force, I was already being treated as a societal outcast, not only by my very own parents but also the random people who used to smile at me whenever I crossed them, while they watered their flowers or walked their pets. Still being a student and a bright one too, as stated earlier and not having any past criminal or offensive record, as far as my knowledge of our legal system goes, I believe I fall in the category of a ‘young offender’, as mentioned in the Young Offenders Act of 1961, therefore, I believe that my sentence or punishment, should be brought to a minimum, as I have accepted my offense, am willing to pay the damages and the extent of the damage too was not as colossal, as expected, either. In order to regain, my lost glory and the name I had earned over the years, in the society, I would be more than willing to serve a communal sentence, which will also contribute towards my rehabilitation as a person and a responsible member of this society. The communal sentence may include serving the community for a certain period of time, as a sentence and free of any charges. In order to avoid a similar situation in the future, I would first look at reforming myself as a person and bring about changes in the development of my personality. This incident would act as the pivot point, which will certainly transform the way I react and the way I drive, in particular. In the future, I would adhere to all the guidelines laid down by the traffic control department of the Police Force and respect all speed limits as well as keep my sight and my concentration on the road, while I am driving and most certainly not anywhere else. I would also not let anyone or any situation affect my drive and would be more careful in the future. Read More