By Shim Jae-yun
This column is the second version of my previous one for The Korea Times’ April 21 edition with the title of ``Near death experience.” I first thought about “My near death experience” for the title but decided to change it to the above one as readers, Koreans in particular, as I pointed out in the April column, have a sort of negative feeling over the word death.
As you might guess, the incident took place on a highway, specifically the 149 kilometer point of the Gyeongbu Expressway bound for Seoul, near Chilgok Interchange, 17 kilometers away from Daegu City. I was returning to Seoul by car at around noon on July 1 after interviewing a ranking official of the IAAF Daegu 2011 Championships the day before.
It was a sizzling, humid day. The car, aged 12 years, began to slow and stopped just before the tollgate for the highway. With emergency lights flashing and after a lull I started it again to join the expressway, harboring anxiety over the possibility of the car’s stalling in the middle of the road. In hindsight, I should not have got on the highway and should have checked the car further.
My worst fears came true. The car showed signs of slowing on an uphill section. Wary of a total halt, I drove it to the emergency lane, which proved later to be the most admirable deed in my entire life!
Seemingly pounded by the scorching weather, the car totally broke down with steam gushing from the engine. Dumbfounded, I remained on the spot for a while without knowing how to deal with the sudden incident as I am unknowledgeable of machines to the extent of being unable to open the bonnet.
At that time, a police car approached and the police officers informed me of the telephone number of the insurance company I subscribe to. They advised me to set up a triangular warning sign behind my car, which I could not find. After the police left, another car of the Korea Expressway Corporation also came to me, warning of possible dangers.
Some 30 minutes later amid fast passing vehicles, a tow truck of the insurance firm arrived to take my car to a nearby service center. The proprietor of the repair center told me the car broke down as it ran out of water needed to cool down the engines and related parts. He said the car needed a new engine head, radiator and some pipes, which alas cost about 600,000 won. Further, I had to wait more than five hours until the car was fixed at about 7 p.m.
In retrospect, I pondered the reason for the car breaking down. First and foremost, I drove the machine too fast beyond its engine capacity in order to get to the interview on time the day before. Albeit a machine, a car has many characteristics similar to living creatures like human beings. Once overloaded, they feel burdened and break down after enduring too much. They show signs when they feel exhausted through various gauges including the one indicating the temperature of the engine. I later recognized the gauge reached the highest level but, at that time, I was not aware of it. How stupid!
The tow truck driver advised me that I could have prevented the car from breaking down by filling up the radiator to prevent it from seizing up.
I learned many lessons from the unexpected occurrence. Apparently the most notable fact was that I survived a possible total mishap. The 149 kilometer point was a curve in the road with a high possibility of a serious accident as drivers have limited vision.
It is horrifying to imagine what would happen if my car had stopped in the middle of the highway instead of the relatively safe side lane. Some months ago, a car stopped in the middle of the newly constructed Incheon Bridge motorway, causing a bus carrying dozens of passengers to crash through the barriers and plummet to the ground claiming 12 lives. An accident on a highway easily leads to multiple crashes killing numerous people. I could have become the very person who caused such an accident.
I and my family including my wife and mother were extremely happy simply with the fact that I returned home safe from a possible disaster. They seemed not to mind my ignorance of the car’s details coupled with undesirable driving habits. I felt an enormous sense of gratitude to return to normal life again. It was a similar emotional experience to the people who underwent a “near death experience” as I wrote about in the previous column.
For some days, I was in a state of peace and tranquility full of appreciation over my fortune in the midst of possible misfortune. I recognized again that happiness comes from being thankful for everything. As time passes by, however, such peace of mind seems to fade away, giving way to daily anxiety and desire. That seems to be the way life is ― c’est la vie.