it’s been a LONG day. on the way to work this morning, i was pulling up over a bridge and on the way down the other side of the bridge, i changed across two lanes of traffic (using my blinker). i didn’t cut anyone off. i didn’t drive anyone off the road… but i got honked at by some driver in a blue pickup truck. being that it was early. that i was tired. that i was sick of people honking their horns for no fuckin’ reason… i flipped the guy off (the top was off my jeep so i just lifted my hand up and gave him the bird without really looking). found out later, aaron did the same.
i ended up having to stop at a redlight a few seconds later and knew that they were going to pull up beside me. i didn’t even look because i always feel slightly stupid after something like that and i could only imagine that they would just start yelling about nothing. anyhow. out of the corner of my eye, i saw the blue truck pull up beside me. i still wasn’t going to look at them. a second later, i hear “psshhhht” and a second after that, my face starts burning. a few seconds after that… and i start going blind. i knew what it was… pepper spray. the fucker hit me in the side of the face with pepper spray. it went right into my eyes. i started to panic slightly (since i knew the light would turn green.. but for the life of me i couldn’t see ANYTHING. i was blind)
Aaron (friend/roomate/coworker) got whatever was left after it hit the side of my face. he started to panic worse than i did, yelling “what the FUCK was THAT?!” i kept trying to tell him to calm down. that it was pepper spray. but i was gagging so much it was hard to talk. i was totally disoriented. i was left with sounds only. i heard someone say “are you guys okay?”. to me it sounded like it came from the vehicle that the spray came from. i said, “you spray me with pepper spray and then ask if i’m okay… hah.. jesus.” my face was on fire. inTENSE pain. i drove about fifteen feet (blind) and pulled up onto a curb somehow. stumbled out of the jeep… felt around for a building or anything that i could hold on to. i was gagging by that time. unable to breathe. about to vomit. i heard Aaron get out of the passenger side door.. into the STREET. i yelled as best i could for him to find a place to sit down. to get out of the street.
still trying to listen for clues as to what was going on. heard someone talking to me. a cop? i opened my eyes for a billionth of a second while i was gagging on the ground. enough time to see cops shoes. she told me to get out of the alley (i didn’t know i was in an alley) and get out into the breeze because it helps.
end of story. i was totally blind for a little over an hour. sitting on the sidewalk with my skin burning (imagine being doused in gasoline and lit on fire) snot running nonstop out of my nose. my eyes searing. drooling on myself etc. the paramedics came. they told me that there isn’t really anything you can do but wait and asked if i needed them to stick around. after a few pours of salene solution in my eyes (which didn’t help), i just told them to leave me there on the sidewalk. if it was going to take time, that’s all i could do. they had lives to save anyhow. after about an hour and i was still totally blind. aaron could see again since he was MUCH better off than i was… being that i got most of it in MY face … i took on for the team. hah. we contemplated taking me to the hospital but as soon as aaron started to drive, i put my face into the wind and that helped a little bit. we ended up driving back to my parents house. waited there for a while. when i could see again, we headed to work. my skin has been on FIRE all day. i can’t explain the pain but even for me… it’s quite a bit (and i tend to enjoy pain).
so it’s been a long day. i’m honestly just glad to be alive. if someone doesn’t think twice about shooting me in the face with pepper spray, i’m SURE they probably wouldn’t have a problem with shooting me in the head with their 9mm that they keep in the glove box (which has happened here in Florida. a man was shot in the head by another driver because he cut him off or something)
so i’ve got a new outlook on driving here in Florida (or anywhere for that matter) my flesh is burning off. it was an interesting experience. one that i don’t plan on repeating.
so… to all who have flipped the bird while driving.. be warned!!
