I firmly believe that surviving the accident was miraculous and I want to share my story with you. On March 2, my husband Russ and I were traveling to the Adirondacks with our youth group to attend a Bible Snow Camp for a long weekend. Russ was driving our friends F350 pickup truck towing a trailer with the groups gear, I was the passenger, and our friend April and her 6 week old son Malachi were in the back seat. While driving on the thruway behind our school bus, our bus full of kids swerved out of the right lane quickly and with little time to react, we had hit the back of a tractor trailer that was BACKING UP on the highway in the right lane. I was knocked out by the approximate 60 mph impact and when I came to, my legs were trapped by the entire dashboard crushing my legs, the roof had collapsed on my head, and glass had shattered all around me cutting me in several places. Fluids and battery acid from the truck burned my hands and face. The side of the tractor trailer was within inches of my face. If Russ did not turn the wheel as much as he did, I would not be writing this letter right now.
I believe that just waking up after the impact is miraculous. I remember seeing the truck coming and then my mind went somewhere else. I remember being in a warm, bright, calm place for a time. I don’t know where I was or what happened. While I was unresponsive in the truck, Russ ran around our truck, climbed under the tractor trailer, slid his hand through the broken passenger window, grabbed my hand, and asked God for a miracle to save my life. Soon after that happened, I woke up. The first thing I remember after the pain started to consume me was asking God to take me back to wherever I just was almost as if I woke up from a great dream and wished I were still dreaming. Thankfully, God doesn’t always answer our prayers because he always has bigger and better plans for us. When I finally awoke, I could not remember anything. I did not even know that I was pregnant until Russ told a rescue worker. I don’t know if I was merely unconscious during that time or Russ’s prayer revived my life, but I do know that will be one of the first questions I ask when I get to heaven.
After an hour or more, the rescue workers were able to get me out by cutting off the roof, the side and lifting the dash off my legs with the jaws-of-life. The time I spent trapped in the truck was a true faith moment. I had no idea if I would ever be able to walk again when I got out of that truck. After about 20 minutes in the truck, I no longer had feeling in my feet and I was crying out to God to save my legs. At that point, I had no idea the extent of my injuries. I could not even see my surroundings because my eyes were filled with glass and truck fluids. God really brought me peace as Russ and our friend Tim prayed over me. If you have ever found yourself stuck, you know the feeling of helplessness and frustration but I only experienced that for a few brief moments. Two versus echoed in my head while I sat there helpless. “Be still and know that I am God” Psalm 139:14 and Deuteronomy 31:8, “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
At the hospital, I learned that my corneas were severely scratched. I could not open my eyes and light was extremely painful so I wore a mask over both eyes for at least a week although it took several weeks before I could see again. My legs were both badly bruised and my right had bruised badly into my calf muscle. I could not flex my muscle at all so I could not walk on it for about three months. I could only walk on my toes which made walking while pregnant a challenge to remain balanced. Someone described my appearance in the ER as looking like someone blew off my face with a shotgun. It was terribly swollen, cut, gashes and burns. While I do have noticeable scars, it is amazing the healing transformation.
I was 28 weeks pregnant with Joshua at the time of the accident. We were not sure if he made it through. I began having contractions in the hospital and dilated 1 cm. By God’s grace, the contractions stopped on their own, without medical intervention. Our friends, family and church prayed for months that our baby would stay put until at least 36 weeks and God heard our prayers. Joshua arrived 9 days late via induction.
Our survival defies logic. Even the rescue workers who see accidents every day were awestruck that we had even survived. I don’t know where you are in your faith, but this was just another way that God has shown me HE IS REAL. There are countless ways that God has revealed that it was by His hand that we were saved that day. We are certain God has a plan for our lives. My prayer is that you are impacted by our story and know that God is still working miracles today.
