Girl leaves path of destruction everywhere she goes

Or maybe she just has no peripheral vision? Or is the clumsiest person ever? Or was late to the biggest event of her life?

To make the story easier, let’s call this girl, oh, I don’t know…Molly.

Several months ago I was traveling home on the metro, per usual. On the way out of the metro, going up the escalator, a young lady (Molly), maybe my age or a little younger, sprinted past me and started running up the escalator. This isn’t too unusual. However, on her way up, she tripped and fell right in front of me. Stifling laughter, I stopped to ask if she was OK, but she was up and on her feet, and sprinting up the escalator again before I even got a word out. Apparently she didn’t keep sprinting, because I caught up to her again a few minutes later, getting ready to cross Wilson to go into the mall, where several people were waiting to cross the street. Without even checking to see if traffic still had the green light (they did), or if cars were coming (they were), or looking both ways, she just strode out into the cross-walk. She didn’t run either…she just walked out casually like she was out for a stroll. A car that was going through the intersection had to slam on her brakes and swerve to keep from hitting her. ‘Molly’ apparently woke up at this point and realized how close she was to becoming road kill. Her reaction? – to yell at the driver and flip them the bird – classy. Everyone still standing there just looked at each other dumbfounded.

If she was in such a hurry before, to trip up the escalator while running up it, why was she so slow getting to the street? You’d think, if not for her own safety, at least in the sake of hurrying, she’d run across the street…why did she choose to walk instead? These are things I pondered as I crossed the street (at the APPROPRIATE time - when the walking-man light was on). Thinking I’d probably never see this girl again, and how weird of an incident it was, I continued on my way. I reached the second street I needed to cross – Glebe Rd at Carlin Springs Rd right outside the mall. The walking man light came on and I started across the street. Across the street from me, on Carlin Springs, waiting to turn left onto Glebe Rd, a male driver sat in his car and inched forward, as he had a green light, with yield to cars coming out of the parking garage going straight onto Carlin Springs. Seeing his way is clear, he comes into the intersection and begins to turn left. All of a sudden, a car comes FLYING out of the parking garage going wayyy too fast, especially for coming out of a parking garage which slopes uphill, especially for going through a busy intersection. At this point I’m in the middle of the street, crossing legally, and I can see what’s about to happen. CRUNCH! The two cars smack into each other in a head-on collision and slide and almost hit me. Since I’m so close, I can see both drivers very clearly – the man looks confused as to “where did they come from?” and the woman – HOLY CRAP, IT’S MOLLY! – well she just looks mad. I stood there completely not believing what I was seeing. How can one person be so careless, clueless, destructive?? I continued home, laughing the entire way, as they got out of their cars and proceeded to yell at each other. It could only end well.

We had a couple debates as to who’s fault the accident was when I got home – was it the man’s because she technically had the right-of-way? Or was it Molly’s because she was speeding and out of control (and also a psycho lunatic?) Obviously you can guess my option – what do you think?