Alive and almost well

Absolutely amazing! For those of you who don’t already know, I was in a terrible car accident on Wednesday as I was driving back from Denver. It was around 12:35 p.m. and I had just recently stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming for lunch and gas. The roads were wet and it was raining pretty hard. As such, everyone was driving under the speed limit, which was 75 at that point. As I was driving, I started to come up behind two semi trucks that were driving pretty slow. I got into the left lane in order to pass the trucks. Just as I was pulling up alongside the rear truck, he began to signal left and started to come into my lane. I knew that if I didn’t do something he would hit me and likely knock my car off the road and into the center median. Immediately, I honked my horn and applied the brakes. Unfortunately, because of the wet road conditions, I lost control of my vehicle and started to hydroplane. At first, I thought I was going to end up in the center median, but it appeared too deep for my Mustang to handle and I didn’t want to roll over, so I adjusted the steering wheel. I know I started to turn back in towards the road, but I didn’t see what happened next because I was blinded by the most brilliant white light. I could hear the sounds of breaking glass and metal being crushed. But what I remember most of that blinding period was that I was thinking, “Is this what it is like to die?” But as soon as I had asked myself that question my mind was filled with the words, “No, you’re still alive. Just hold on.” And hold on I did. I knew I had no control over my car but I also knew that I was still moving. After some time, everything came to a stop, the white vision was replaced by dark, and I realized that my eyes were closed. I also felt lots of small particles in my mouth. At first I thought my teeth had been shattered, but I quickly realized that my teeth were fine and I had only glass in my mouth. I first reached for my face to be certain that my eye glasses hadn’t been shattered into my eyes. When I found they were still in tact, I knew it would be safe to open my eyes. Eyes open, I found that I was underneath the trailer of the semi truck. The entire convertible top was ripped off and the windshield had caved in when the car went under the trailer. I immediately grabbed for my cell phone which was still in the cup holders at my right hand. I dialed 911 immediately. As I was on the phone I realized that I was bleeding from my right forehead, but I felt like the rest of my body was in pretty good shape. The semi drive got out of his cab and came under the trailer to see if I was alright. Another semi driver stopped behind him as well. They told me that I had been cut on my forehead and it appeared that there was an indentation in my skull, though it didn’t look too serious. After speaking with dispatch, I realized that my book on tape was still playing, which I thought was pretty funny. I then attempted to open my door, and it opened, miraculously. I was able to unbuckle my seat belt and actually crawl out from under the trailer. It is amazing that I was able to get out of the car. When I looked at the accident, it was amazing. My car was as far under the trailer as it could be. I had gone in under the trailer square, as if trying to drive from one side of the truck to the other, such that the rear tires of the semi slammed into the passenger side, crushing it, and dragging the car under the trailer for perhaps a quarter mile before coming to a stop. I was shocked that I still had my head because had I been sitting up in that car I would surely have been decapitated. Amazingly, the tires had not collapsed, which the state trouper said was a good thing. If my tires had collapsed, the semi would likely have simply driven right over the top of my car. Some other motorists very graciously stopped to see if they could be off help, and a father and son driving together allowed me to sit in their back seat out of the rain and out of the cold. An EMT stopped and tried to assess if I had any internal injuries that were not apparent, though he did not have his bag with him. Then a flight nurse stopped who did have her bag, and she took my blood pressure and also tried to assess if I might have any other injuries. When the ambulance arrived, they said I had the right to decline transportation to the hospital, but having seen what the accident looked like, I decided it would be best to have them take me to the hospital. At the hospital, x-rays were taken and three CAT scans were done. There was some concern that I might have a serious head, neck or back injury, but all of the tests showed that my only injuries were a laceration on my right forehead, some scrapes on my right cheek, and swelling around those areas. It is truly miraculous that I was not killed in that accident, let alone that I walked away with only minor injuries! As far as the car is concerned, it was completely totaled. It looks absolutely terrible. But I know that God was watching out for me that day. I know that he protected me and kept me alive. I’ll try to get some pictures posted online from the accident scene and pictures of the car once it had been towed, so check back soon.