An Auto Accident that Almost Changed the Whole World

Every once in a while, a critical event occurs. Something happens, and the possible outcomes are thrown into the air to decide how history will be written. 

For example, It’s a snowy night. And a man was driving home. The streets were wet and slick. The air cold. Between the wet and the car's dim headlights, his ability to see in front of him was poor. 

He saw a dark figure just ahead of him and hit the brakes then, almost simultaneously, a thump. Not one of those thumps where a chuck of ice flips up into the undercarriage. But instead, a solid, velocity changing whack, and decelerating vibration, that let him know he really hit something. 
 

Ok now, Same Story – Different perspective: 

A British gentleman was traveling by cab to an old friend’s apartment in New York, having been invited for a late visit. It was about 10:30 at night. Knowing he was close, but not being familiar with the area, he decided to exit the cab. He figured it would be quicker to navigate the final bit on foot, reading the address numbers. 

He found the address. He bolted to cross the street. Halfway across, he saw headlights approaching from the right. Thinking like a Brit, he instinctively believed he was in the clear, and continued across. Expecting the car to pass behind him. 

Being a visitor from London, he was accustomed to navigating a big city with its traffic. But in the darkness, he miscalculated, or has a potentially fatal brain vapor. Perhaps, for a moment, he forgot he wasn’t in London, where cars travel on the opposite side of the road. 

Without a second thought, he stepped forward directly into the path of an oncoming car. He recalled there was a sudden, violent jarring impact across his thighs and forehead. 

And then found himself on the ground.