I could be dead.

Last Saturday night I almost died driving down the interstate. I was heading back from Georgia from another round with the townhouse and the first rain bands from Hurricane Rita were crossing the Alabama/Mississippi border. The darkness combined with the rain made it incredibly difficult to see.

Roughly twelve miles from Meridian, I saw what I thought were brake lights in the distance. The rain was pretty heavy, so I wasn't sure if the brakes had been applied or not- at any rate, the car was so far away I didn't immediately press the brakes. It was probably about half a mile ahead.

Something in my gut tipped me off, however, so I slowed down, probably to around forty-five miles or so. I was less than thirty feet away when I saw why the car ahead of me had hit his brakes.

Sitting in the lane (facing traffic) was a black truck without its headlights on. Imagine how difficult that must be to see- the black color, the darkness, the rain, etc. Also, I drive carefully, but I don't think anyone drives to anticipate a car sitting in the middle of the road, without at least the flashers on. I managed to veer off to the shoulder of the road- I didn't apply my brakes because I'm sure I would have skidded into the truck- and began honking my horn on instinct to warn other drivers. I was convinced someone would hit him if I didn't do something.

Thus, I swung my car around (toward traffic) and began to flash my headlights at the oncoming traffic. Later the first police officer to arrive on the scene told me that had I not done so, he would have slammed into the truck.

I was so close to death or serious injury there's not a day the incident doesn't pass through my mind. If the truck (the driver was intoxicated and had hit a bridge) had stopped on the bridge, my route of escape would have been closed off and I would have been forced to hit him. Others, coming behind me, would have hit me, probably at full speed.

It makes you evaluate your life, if nothing else.