Carstruck

I once got hit by a car while crossing the street with the Walk signal at a crosswalk.

It was a gloomy, wet 5pm when I left the office on a January Friday (one-one-nine-nine-six) and started my walk home. I waited at the light, and when the Don't Walk signal went out, I started across Kings Highway. After the halfway point, I heard an engine revving, coming up behind me, and closing on me so obviously that I turned around in time to see a Jeep Wrangler less than 6 feet away with no sign of slowing, let alone stopping. It caught me square, my chin went down onto the hood of the vehicle, and I went airborne. Next thing I was aware of was something black flying past my face; took a moment to realize I was seeing the asphalt surface of the road and that I was scraping along on my hands and knees. Once I knew that, my old sandlot sports training kicked in and I tucked my shoulder down and rolled myself right up onto my feet. It must have looked pretty cool, but there was a small child on the sidewalk looking on in horror, holding onto his mother's hand. She asked me to let the child know I was okay, so I assured them both that I was, in fact, okay. But my heart was racing.

The Jeep's driver, a guy maybe twenty years old, had pulled over and was saying to me, "Sorry. I didn't see you until I hit you." This was consistent with my recollection. He said, "Should I call somebody?" I suggested he call 9-1-1.

The local ambulance came, and I requested to be taken to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital emergency room, as my left forearm was swollen and I thought that meant it might have been broken. I chose that hospital because it was closest to the Westmont Theater (even on the same road, Haddon Avenue), where I was to do my walk-on part in the opening nite performance of The Philadelphia Story. 

The ER doctor ordered an X-Ray. After reviewing it, he told me with a straight face, "We are going to have to amputate your arm." Remembering a line Homer Simpson once said in a similar situation, I replied to the doc, "It'll grow back, right?" The nurse standing behind the doc laughed.

Turns out I was only bruised, so I was released, and a short cab ride later I was at the theater with a pretty good story to tell.