Yesterday, my daughters and I were in a serious car crash. On our way to violin lessons for Mia, we were zipping along just under the speed limit when the driver of a large propane truck decided he would try a last minute left turn across oncoming traffic (that would be us). I can still see it in slow motion in my mind. I'm driving along one second and the next, I see a large white truck directly in front of me. I knew there was no way he was going to make it through the intersection. I knew we were going to be in a very serious accident.
It's pretty crazy what goes through your mind in just a few seconds time. I can feel the wheel in my hands as I tried a last ditch effort to swerve into a tailspin that could possibly save the girls from impact. I can smell the air bags as they exploded, filling the car with the smell of smoke. I can hear the sound of the shattering glass and my brakes squealing. And I can remember thinking,
"I don't know if we're going to live." I remember how the impact hit the car, this terrible deep thudding sound. I remember feeling like I was blacking out, but hearing Mia call me and knowing I had to somehow help them. I remember fighting a bit to remember where I was and what was happening. And I can even now as I type this, remember the sick feeling in my stomach as I turned around to see if the girls were ok. There hadn't been a sound from Violet and I had no idea if their side of the car had been hit, yet.
Mia's had, but the brunt of the force was taken by the front of the car and both girls were just fine. The thing is, I can't figure out how. I replay the accident in my mind and I just can't figure out how we came out of it alive.
That sounds so dramatic. I'm so not a drama queen.
As I was asked by policemen and the EMT's and such what had happened, none could make sense of the damage to the car. They all shook their heads and said the collision spots made no sense...and yet the eye witnesses all verified my recounting of the accident. It really did happen exactly as I said and they saw.
I was taken by ambulance to the hospital in a lovely neck brace. I suffered some pretty nasty whiplash which will probably take awhile to recover from. I also could not hear well in one ear for several hours after the accident. Today, it is much better. And the girls...not a scratch.
I'm so thankful for God's grace in the accident big and small...from our lives being spared to a Christian paramedic who prayed a blessing over me in the middle of Hartford Hospital. Believe me, friends, that doesn't happen often in New England! So thankful, too, for the many people who have been praying for our recovery and for the girls to be spared from nightmares and flashbacks.
Randall and I have been praying that God would use this accident to meet the needs of the man who caused the accident. He drives for a living and this mistake could certainly cost him his job. Should he be driving? I don't know at this moment. I do know that everyone makes mistakes. I certainly do. If you think of us, would you please include him your prayers too? I'm thinking that as painful as things are in our life right now, they could get worse in his real soon. Thanks.
Oh! And the even better good news? The girls, Gabe, and I are headed to FL on Tuesday for a few weeks with grandparents. When I purchased the tickets two months ago, I thought it was waiting a little too long to go. Now I think the timing is perfect! I can't think of a better place to lay my aching neck than on a lounge chair by their pool. :-)
