Ya Allah! Terima Kasih Kerana Menyelamatkan Hamba-Mu Ini!

The badly-damaged front

The white mark across the bonnet is where the car had hit the concrete divider on my right. The car then sort of tilted on its right side as I felt my head was going downwards and my right shoulders hit something (must be the door). Then it straightened up, spun five times and ended up on the railings on my left

The windscreen caved in

Damaged rim/tyre

The railings stopped the car from landing on the next lane (for traffic coming from Wangsa Maju)

I came home from Makkah with a bad cough and cold and took medication which made me drowsy. I made the foolish decision to drive after taking medication and paid for it dearly.

While driving on the Duke Highway from Damansara towards Hulu Kelang yesterday evening in a light drizzle, I must have fallen asleep for a split second at the wheel. Suddenly, I felt the car hit something and started to go out of control. I felt like my head was going down and after what seemed like an eternity of being thrown around, the car came to a crashing halt on the railing that separates the road from the lane on my left.

I was driving at around 80 kph due to the drizzle (the speed limit is 90); but even at that speed, the impact caused extensive damage to the car. After hitting the divider, the car sort of tilted on its side and that was when I felt my head going down and my shoulders hit the door. Then the car straightened again and spun around a few times before landing on the opposite railings on my left. According to the highway official, his CCTV showed that the car spun around 5 times before landing on the railings.

Thankfully, the car did not land on its side. The passenger door was not jammed and I could get out and miraculously, I was unscathed expect for a slight pain on my shoulders and being badly shaken. Highway officials and some passers-by came to my rescue. They helped me away from the vehicle as petrol had leaked out and they also helped to gather my belongings that were strewn all over. They were kind enough to return my wallet and a pair of diamond ear-rings (that I had placed in my handbag, which was unzipped when the incident happened).

One of the passers-by insisted that he take me to a hospital for checkup but I wanted to make sure the car is towed away by a company which is approved by AAM. I called AAM for a tow truck which came in about half an hour and the representative from the workshop explained to me what needed to be done. In the meantime, I called Nash to come and take me home. Nash also suggested I see a doctor but since I felt fine, all I wanted to do was get home. After resting at home for about an hour, the workshop representative took me to Jalan Bandar Police Station to make a police report for insurance claim purposes. The repair is estimated to take about a month.

The moral of the story….DO NOT DRIVE IF YOU ARE ON MEDICATION. Please heed the warning labels on medicines about driving when under medication. I thought I felt fine to drive but I was overcome by drowsiness while I was on the highway. Since I was on a highway, there was no place to stop. ALWAYS HAVE YOUR SEAT BELTS SECURED, EVEN IF YOU ARE A PASSENGER IN THE BACK SEAT….it saved me from being thrown out of the car.

I thank Allah the Almighty for protecting me and that I came out unscathed except for being badly shaken by the experience. I am also thankful that no other cars or motorcyclists were involved in the accident.

This morning, I performed special prayers as a gesture of appreciation for being saved (Solat Sunat Syukur) and I also prayed for avoidance of any further misfortunes (Solat Sunat Tolak Bala). Next Thursday night, I plan to have thanksgiving prayers (doa selamat) at a mosque. The prayers will be conducted on my behalf by the Imam of the mosque...Insyaallah!