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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/Kooky-Value-2399 on 2025-10-08 00:45:48+00:00.

I never thought I would post here, but I’m a long time lurker.

Let me preface this story with this; I am a woman and I carry pepper spray in an enclosed second bag inside my everyday messenger bag.

Today, on my ride home from work, I went digging in my bag for ibuprofen for a headache that was starting. I was sitting at a red light, hoping to find the little bottle before it changed and I got on the freeway when I realized my hand was inside a second bag. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it and quickly released it before rummaging fruitlessly just as the light changed.

I put both hands back on the wheel and start to turn to the on ramp when I felt a tickle on my eye and rubbed my hand over it. Initially, I didn’t notice anything, but a couple of seconds later I realized it was burning and I put my hand back on my eye and rubbed a little harder, thinking I had an eyelash stuck or something. All of a sudden my eye was on fire and I was basically crying and I realized something was wrong so I pulled to the side of the on ramp and pulled my emergency brake and put the hazards on.

I pulled my gallon water bottle open and started drowning myself inside my car as my brain puts the pieces together and I realized I pepper sprayed myself. The burning is easing slightly so I closed that eye and quickly googled what to do if you pepper spray yourself and find that washing the area with cold water and NOT rubbing it were basically my only options so put the phone down and just kept pouring.

Probably close to ten minutes later I am mostly fine, but very wet, and go to throw my car out of neutral and into first while turning my hazards off and releasing the e brake when I hear a tap on my passenger window.

Not only did I stupidly mess my vision up and extend my trip home, now there’s a very kind stranger outside my window giving me a questioning thumbs up. I frantically (and probably maniacally) smile and nod and he wandered back to his car so I think I’m in the clear and go to get on the freeway. It’s rush hour, there’s no chance I can get up to speed so I just get off on the first exit and think I’ll get back on only to realize this road doesn’t have an on ramp, just an exit. So I pull up maps, hit ‘home’ and quickly browse to see what my course is and turn it off.

I am still new to this job and haven’t explored other ways to get home and find alternative routes. I accidentally got on the wrong freeway, took a 20 minute detour to try and find my way back to the freeway I know, and all of this while sitting, absolutely drenched, in my car and trying to not beat myself up over the fact that only I could do this shit to myself.

I get home and explain it to my mom and partner and they can’t stop laughing after realizing I’m okay. I’m an idiot but no harm no foul I guess.

I feel bad for the random guy that tried to help because I am so sure I looked like a drowned rat on crack.

TL;DR: I touched pepper spray, then my eye, dumped water on my face, embarrassed myself with a random stranger, took a detour and will never live this down.