Almanac: At the Capitol

Word as probably spread around the Capitol that I will not be on air tonight because I was in a pretty serious car accident this morning. My dear colleague and lifelong friend Eric Eskola will fill in the House Gallery. The show couldn't be in better hands. As you may know Almanac: At the Capitol has a loose style with no teleprompter or real script. You just have to know how to adlib the news of the day and grill your live guests. No one does that better than EE. He's been on the phone several times today with my parents who are wintering down in Arizona and are close friends of Eric's. While Eskola has been a mentor to me, my Dad Geno was a mentor to Eric. They wanted to carefully craft a message for the viewers tonight about my status. I am going to be okay, I have no broken bones, but a lot of pain and stiffness to accompany my injuries. I was stopped at a stoplight coming into work this morning and saw a big truck coming at me fast in my rear view mirror. I had several cars ahead of me, so in a split second I thought if I don't turn my wheel I could be a goner, that move may have saved my life. I was hit very hard and fast from behind, but largely avoided the other truck ahead of me. It was a terrifying experience and the other driver admitted it was due to inattentive driving because he was looking down at a map or something and didn't see the cars ahead. As a reporter I've covered a lot of crashes and now I was on the other side. I've also heard so many state officials talk about the dangers of inattentive driving, today I saw it first hand. I hope to be back on air reporting again soon once I'm able. Thanks to all my friends, family, colleagues and others for your support!