I was back home in Bossier City, Louisiana for Christmas and was driving home from Johnny's Pizza last Sunday (December 28), making my way down Shed Road, when a car backed off a side street and smacked right into me.

My first car accident happened my senior year of high school in 1993. I was driving my red 1988 Nissan Sentra. I would pick my friend Frank up the morning and we'd drive to school together - I'd drop him off late at his class and write a note for him because I worked in the student office. One day while waiting at the stop light to turn right past the McDonald's and make our way onto campus I slipped off the brakes and tapped the car in front of me. We didn't think anything of it and went on to class when I was finally called out of class by the campus police officer. He asked me if I hit someone that morning and I said yes, I did. There was no damage on her car - a scratch on the bumper of her green Chevrolet Cavalier, so he just chided me for my poor lack of judgment and driving skills and sent me back to class.

Last Sunday my friend Brooke and I had split a pitcher of beer at Johnny's and ate most of a large pizza and an order of breadsticks. The Ravens and Steelers were playing on TV, with Jamal Lewis chasing the NFL Rushing Record. Todd Walker was there eating with his family, as he must have been home for the holidays as well. Todd Walker went to the same high school I did. Todd Walker's 2003 salary with the Boston Red Sox was $3,450,000.

My second car accident happened in the Sentra as well in 1996. My then girlfriend Jennifer and I were driving to my work (I worked at Shreve Memorial Library and she would study while I worked) and as we were coming off the interstate onto Market Street the lady in the lane next to us decided to merge into our lane without looking. She pinned us between her and the wall. We were okay though. We moved our cars to the parking lot of the hotel down the street and the police officer chastised us for having done so - despite the fact that it was 5:00 in the afternoon and it was rush hour traffic. He went so far as to say we'd have to move our cars back onto the street before Jennifer informed him that he was being stupid. The lady admitted it was her fault and they arrested her as she had no insurance, no license and several outstanding warrants. I was a bit late for work that day.

As I was leaving Johnny's Pizza I thought to myself that I was glad it was a short trip back to my parent's house, because I was tired. It was a dark and stormy night and I turned right onto Airline and right again onto Shed Road. I set my cruise on 35 because that was the speed limit and a lot of times the police set speed traps. As I drove down Shed Road I noticed the car ahead of me turn left off the main street. I was on the inside lane of the four lane road. I noticed another car to my right that was facing backwards on the side street. Then I noticed the white reverse lights come on and the car starting to back up. It looked like he was going to back out across the two lanes on my side to go in the other direction from me. I started to slow down and realized he wasn't going to stop. I hit my horn and slowed down further and he never saw or heard me. It was raining too hard for me to stop fast, and if you've ever hydroplaned, as I have in the past, you take all the care in the world not to do that again. I also couldn't veer over into the other two lanes to the left because he would have still backed into me, plus I could have lost control in the rain and smashed into someone's house. Finally he crashed into me. He was in a green Dodge Intrepid and his back right tire was planted into the front right of my car. I called 911 as a rather large black man got out of the car.

My third car accident happened in Shreveport in 2002 in the parking lot of Tinseltown in my black 1999 Toyota Corolla, which I still drive. Erin and I had just watched a movie and had gotten in the car. I looked both ways and backed up at the very same moment a Toyota Tercel parked right behind me looked both ways and backed up. The edges of our bumpers kissed each other. I had what could be termed a "whiskey dent" on the back left corner of my bumper. The Tercel had a plastic bolt knocked off that we put right back in. Other than that it was fine. We didn't file a police report and both admitted it was a no-fault accident. We went on our separate ways. I had a margarita at El Chico's later that night.

The large black man asked me if I was okay and I was. He had two other people in his car and I asked them all if they were okay and they were. His name was Scott. He had been on his cell phone with a security company when he ran into me. He apologized profusely and said it was totally his fault to both me and the police officer who came to right the report. I had a cracked front bumper, a busted side lamp and a hood that had shifted. When all was said and done I was getting ready to leave and Scott told me that he owned a body shop and could fix it up for me for free. The police officer vouched for him and said he knew the shop's reputation was good. Scott gave me $80 as a good faith gesture. I drove home and took a bath.

The next day I took my car to Scott's body shop (B&B Body Shop) which was right down from my parent's house. Tim, the body repair guy, said he could get it fixed up for me in time for us to leave on Friday. They did great work and had it ready for me on noon that Friday. They even fixed the whiskey dent in the rear bumper for free as a bit of restitution for my troubles. They probably did two weeks worth of work in 4 1/2 days, so I was impressed. I must have picked one of the nicest guys in the planet to get hit by, so I've got no complaints. It could have been a lot worse, but luckily it wasn't.