Whether at fault or not, car accidents involving high school students is a frequently heard of occurrence. For students at Wahlert, some accidents have occurred on major highways or even in their own driveways. Whether the accident is big or small, students have experienced traumatic car incidents that they hope to leave in the past.

Dalton TImmerman, ‘21, was in a serious accident on Highway 20 during an ice storm. He started fishtailing, which made him hit the barrier, landing him into oncoming traffic facing a semi. He explains, “The impact was terrible, and I was scared out of my mind. The passenger side was hit, and I was driving Michelle Carpenter, ‘21, so I was very nervous she was hurt. However, she ended up being okay.” 

For about five minutes the two sat in oncoming traffic until the police arrived, but luckily they both made it out safely! Timmerman adds, “Howard (my car) was totaled, and it is sad because it was such a great truck, and I was going to take it to college with me in the fall.” Although TImmerman has a reputation for being a bad driver, he argues that his bad driving skills were not at fault in this accident. 

In another incident, Lauryn Montgomery, ‘21, had an accident at home in her own driveway. She explains, “It was my first day backing out of the garage. I heard the sensor going off, so I panicked. I then slammed on the gas instead of the brake, making me land over the retaining wall.” She, too, ended up being completely okay, but the car was not. 

Lily Jochum, ‘21, was involved in an accident where the other driver was difficult to communicate with. Jochum states, “The damage wasn’t awful, but the other driver

tried blaming it on me because she said her husband wouldn’t buy her a new car if he found out she was in another accident.” Jochum’s car needed an entire new door, so the other lady’s cooperation was necessary in helping Jochum fix the damage. 

Unfortunately, car accidents happen to everyone. To avoid these accidents, it is important to stay proactive and do the little things to help us stay safe on the roads: wear a seatbelt, drive in safe conditions, avoid using your phone, and cruise cautiously.