Renee Booe Photography BLOG » Images and Words by RBP

Let me start by saying this is not meant to be a funny story. This was actually a very traumatic event for me and I am only sharing it to give God all the glory for how He took care of the entire situation.

Last weekend I was on my way to meet a client when I struck a pedestrian with my car. Yes. I hit a person with my car. That sentence still haunts me. I was driving on a very tiny Japanese street and actually never saw the women. I heard the sound of the impact and thought I had hit a metal pole, which are strangely placed on the roads here in Japan with mirrors on the top of them to be used when making blind turns. I immediately pulled the car over and got out to see the damage. This is when I realized that my worst fear about living in Japan had just became my reality . I saw that I had not struck a pole but rather a Japanese women. My heart sank to my chest and my life flashed before my eyes.

As I ran to her my mind was flooded with thoughts. Is she ok? Where did she come from? What do I say to her? Am I going to spend the next years of my life in a Japanese prison? What will happen to my babies? Andy? You see, laws in Japan are very different than those in the States. And from what we have heard regarding hitting a pedestrian I knew the outcome was not going to be good.

I ran to her side and began asking her if she was ok. I was in shock. I was weeping. Thankfully her husband was with her and he spoke perfect English. He instructed me to call the base police while he phoned the Japanese police. Had he not told me to do that I think I would have just knelt there crying.

We waited for the authorities to come. Just me. The husband. And the women I just hit with my car. She was conscience. And she was kind. She explained her pain to me, sore hip, head, and knee from falling forward after the impact.  Then immediately asked me if I was ok. What? I hit you with my car and yet you are asking me if I am ok? I kept crying and apologizing to her, which seems so futile when you just hit someone with your car. She told me that she always reminds her kids to be careful when entering this street at this exact point, to make sure they look for cars. She confessed that she did not look. I did not see her because she was walking on a path that is located in between a tall wall and a house. It is impossible to see people on this path until they actually enter the street. She had entered the street and began walking on the side of the road at the exact time that I had passed.

The ambulance came and took her to the hospital.

I was then alone with the authorizes, both Japanese and the American police from the base. Andy was in the mountains about to go snowboarding with some friends. My haunting phone call changed that real quick, but he still get back until all the drama was over.

The next three hours were the most stressful hours of my life.  It involved Japanese police, a translator, Security Forces, and recalling the incident to the investigation team who wanted the specifics in great detail. It also involved a trip to the Japanese police station. I have never been to a police station in the States, but now here I was headed to one in Japan. I set in the police station awaiting my fate. The translator told me that the Japanese authorities would want to speak to the victim before deciding my punishment. In Japan the vicim has a very big say in what happens in these types of situations, regardless of who is at fault. Since the victim was at the hospital I would have to come back in a couple weeks to hear the outcome. Oh, the agony of having to wait to know. Thankfully the women was released from the hospital and came straight to the police station to give her statement. I did not have to wait weeks to know what the penalty was. I would know in a few minutes.

The women and her husband came into the building and I greeted them with more apologizes and inquires. I wanted to know how she was. How badly did I hurt her? I was mortified at the thought of causing this completely stranger so much pain. She complained of being sore, but told me nothing was broke and all the tests that were ran came back fine. Once again she tried to console me. And her husband even gave me a bottle of water. I was beyond humbled.

The moment of truth came. The couple began to give their statement in Japanese while I sat there clueless of what was being said. The translator just told me that the couple would give their statement, decide if they were going to sue me, and then the police would also decide their punishment after their heard from the victim. All I could do was hold my head in my hands and pray for mercy. I hit this women with my car. Regardless of who was at fault, I hit her. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head.  All I could do was silently pray.

After what seemed like eternity the translator said this to me. “We are done here. They are not suing you. No Japanese ticket either. It is being considered a minor incident. Now say sorry and we will go.” I stared at him for every bit of a minute, stunned. I honestly could not believe the words out of his mouth. I was not being sued or going to jail. I wasn’t even getting a ticket! This is unheard of in this country. A complete miracle in my opinion.

I said more apologies like the translator instructed me to do, which is a big deal in the Japanese culture, and left the police station in a haze.

It has been over a week since the incident and I will confess that I still struggle with all of it. My life could of changed in a moment. That women’s life, Michiko, could have been altered drastically because of me. Those thoughts are difficult to let go. I am trying not to dwell on those haunting “what ifs”. Instead I am focusing on the grace and provision that was shown to me that day. I am overwhelmed by the goodness of my heavenly Father who worked everything out. He covered the entire situation and spared me. I see things differently now. I am now hyper-senstive to that reality that in a single moment everything can change.  I do not want to take one single day or one single gift I have been given for granted.