Bob McKernan
On November 5,1996 I was driving to the Post Office in Barnstable Village on Cape Cod. It is something I have done for years. This day was different. Suudenly as I was driving along I saw the other vehicle, he was going to hit the car in the other lane in the rear end, I thought. It did, but careened over into my lane and slammed into me. I remember seeing the older mans face looking right at me as his car cut into my drivers side door. At first, I did not think I had lost consciousness, and told everyone that asked me if I had, that I hadn't. I remember all of the questions that are routine, ie date, time, who is president etc. I was X-rayed as a matter of course because I complained of hip pain, shoulder pain etc. But I also complained of having a "novacane - like feeling " (in my hands) and in my toes of my left foot. They , the E.R; at Cape Cod Hospital was very busy. And I am not a 'complainer'. The one significant thing was that I had a 'runny nose' and remember asking the nurse for some tissue to blow my nose. She gave me a box of tissues and after severl hours of this and that, I was discharged to my home via taxi..... As the days went by the 'runny nose' seemed to clear up and my attention was directed to my neck and back, and to the numbness issues of my left toes and fingers. As weeks went past, my friends started to ask me if I was abusing my pain killers because I was talking funny. Like I was not buzzed, but just kind of different. The fact is that I was NOT using pain killers at all. One of the first things that alerted me to a more serious problem was while on the way to the Post Office I suddenly found myself lost. It was as if I was in a different town. Somewhere I had never been before. I was frightened. Then I saw something that looked famiiar to me and in a moment or so I was back on track. As time progressed, I started having speech fluency problems, along with word finding problems which has caused stuttering. This took several months to become noticed, and now more than two years have passed. I am greatfull that my intelect was not grossley taken from me. I am still able to work, but differently. I can only operate a keyboard by the single finger 'hunt and peck' method. I have trouble programming telephone systems, a task that I have done for nearly twenty years withouttrouble. I manage to conceal my difficulties from most people, but occaisionally my grandson or grandaughter will catch me if I misplace a word or two. I don't know if it would have made any difference if the nurses, or doctors at the E.R. had noticed that I a suspicious 'runny nose',or not, but that was the only indication that I was in serious trouble. I was leaking crainial fluid from my nose, and not I, or anyone else made any special note of it, and the insurance company seems to want to deny that it was from the accident. If anything, I would just like to have E.R.'s accross the country to be more 'alert' to this. In time hopefully, I will be able to once again ride a motorcycle, sail a boat, play golf, and order dinner at a restaurant without the waiter having to complete my sentences.
Bob McKernan
1347 hrs 01-24-99
