In the event of...

There was nothing I could do, no time to react. It all happened so fast that I couldn't even think through one of those split second logical reactions that everyone talks about after they've been in a harrowing experience. My car slammed into the moose directly and all I heard was the shattering of glass, the squeal of my breaks and the breathtaking thud of a 2 ton mammal landing on the hood of my Toyota. Then, silence. I soon became aware of the sound of my breathing, heavy and ragged. Then the sound of my heart beating faster then normal. I looked at my immediate surroundings without the aid of moving my neck; you never move your neck in the seconds after being in a collision. I saw glass, I saw brown fur, I saw hooves, I saw a moose that was not breathing and then I saw the blood. I glanced down and my head began to swim...there it was, the leg of a moose penetrating my abdomen. I concentrated all my efforts on remaining completely still. "Please God, let the moose be dead. Please let it not move!" There was blood, yes, but it wasn't moving out of the wound. Somehow the foreign object perforating my body was also controlling the bleeding and probably dancing a delicate balance between snuffing out my life and saving it. Keeping the wounded area still was of the utmost importance. There was no time to check myself over for other injuries (I wasn't feeling any pain elsewhere as it was) this problem, the one staring me in the face, was the one that needed to be dealt with. Now. I reached for my phone, which somehow was still on my passenger seat and dialed 911 with shaky hands. "911, what's your emergency?" Deep breath. "Hello, my name is Joni and I've been in a one car accident on highway 26. I've received a puncture wound in the upper right quadrant of my abdomen, the foreign object is still in the wound. An ambulance would be good." After I gave details and was assured the EMT's were En route I reached over the offending moose appendage to take my pulse. Sporadic, but strong. I took great efforts to steady my breathing as I heard the faint sounds of sirens in the distance...

Isn't it amazing what you can imagine as you're driving home on a dark road at midnight?