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June 2003 was an eye opener for my family and me. We were on our way to the Hospital because our 12 year old son was covered in hives due to an allergic reaction that he had due to the medication that his doctor had prescribed to him for a cold. Who would have thought that we too would need medical attention? On our way to the Hospital, a car that was sitting at a stop sign pulled out into the intersection that we was just going through, and hit us broadside. We were traveling around 55mph. The impact broke the rear axle of our pick-up truck and caused us to roll over three to five times before coming to a rest upside down in a ditch near by. And no, we were not wearing seat belts at the time. I will NEVER forget the screams of our child yelling for his mommy to help him as we rolled and tumbled inside helplessly. The truck was still running while we were trapped inside. My first thought was to make sure everyone was all right. I asked my wife and son if they were ok, and both replied yes. However they were both bleeding, but from where we didn't know yet. Looking around inside the cab, I realized there was no way out the front window or the 2 side doors because the ditch we were in had us blocked on all sides. And the cab was smashed in on top of us also. I asked my son if there was a way to get out of the back. He said the camper shell had slid back about 6in or so and thought he could get out through the back window of the cab. I told him to try it and watch out for broken glass that was all around us. After getting out of the truck, he said come on you guys, I made it! I looked at my wife who had blood all over her head and face and down the front of her and told her to go next. She replied, you go first. At this time, I realized I still had my lit cigarette in my mouth that I was smoking when we got hit. I yelled for my son and handed the cigarette to him and told him to throw it as far away from the truck as he could, in fear of the truck catching on fire. He was a lot calmer than my wife and I and did as I asked. I pulled myself out from under the steering wheel that I seamed to be pinned under and crawled to the back of the truck. My first reaction when I saw that small window was, there's no way! My wife and I are both a little on the heavy side. But then the fear of the truck catching on fire pushed me onward. I pulled myself through the opening and had to slide between the camper shell and the bed of the truck to get out. After I got out, I beckoned for my wife to crawl out. She said that she couldn't do it. I told her she had to do it, because the truck might catch on fire. It did not dawn on me at the time when I was in the truck to shut it off. All I could think of was burning alive! My wife tried crawling out through the small opening and got about halfway when she got stuck. She started crying saying that she couldn't get out. Fearing for her life, I reached back in and took hold of both her hands, and I pulled with all my might. I knew if she didn't get out soon, she may never get out! The Lord was on our side that day. Because I gave that one big tug, and out she came. I pulled her away from the truck into the field in case it did catch fire. It was at this time I realized that my wife had gone into shock. I knew I had to get help right away. I pulled out my cell phone that was some how still clipped to my pants and called 911. At this point, I had no idea what shape the other driver was in that hit us. I told the 911 operator to send several ambulances and gave our location. I told her that a vehicle hit us and we rolled our truck around 3 to 5 times. A witness later told us, it was at least 5 times. Rescue units were on the scene in just minutes. While I was waiting on them to get there, I looked over my wife and noticed she had a gash in her head and was partially scalped. She was bleeding from the head and her hand, which appeared to have a cut in it also. I applied pressure to the wound on her head and asked my son if he was all right. He replied that he thought he was ok. When the rescue units arrived, they started to work on my wife first. They asked my son and me if we were all right and we both replied yes. I got up from my wife's side so they could work on her and I started towards the road. After getting on the road, I started towards the other driver to see what kind of shape they were in. I got about half way across the road when a paramedic approached me and asked me if I was all right. I must have been very pale or something, because I collapsed right in front of this guy. I leaned up on my side to try and get back up, but he wouldn't let me. They placed my wife and I both on backboards and placed us in two separate ambulances. My son rode with me. My ambulance took off first. After driving for just a short while, I heard the driver say he was slowing down to let the other one go by us. I asked if my wife was ok, since I knew she was in that ambulance and the guy that was working on me said yes. I panicked, and started to hyper ventilate because I knew he was probably lying to me. If she was ok, why did they have to pass us? He explained that her injuries were a little bit worse than mine, so they were letting them go first. This calmed me somewhat. Not much though. After arriving at the Hospital, we were placed in different rooms. My wife's mother showed up, and I asked how my wife was doing, and she said they were working on her now. I asked her to call my parents who live about 45 to 60 min away. They arrived in about 20 to 30 min. After lying in my room for a while, I started to have pain like I had never felt before shooting down my back. They finally gave me a shot for pain after getting my x-rays taken. When the Sheriff's Deputy came in to see me, he stated that when he first rolled up on the accident, he would have swore that there was a fatality involved by the looks of my truck. He said he was absolutely amazed that we were able to walk away from it with only minor injuries. We were finally allowed to leave the Hospital around 8 hours later. They treated my wife's head wound that did not require stitches, and her hand that did require stitches. My son received stitches in his left shoulder where we believe he was cut by glass. I basically suffered from bruising and also required additional treatment for my right elbow. We were lucky to be alive. Even though I was raised with a religious background, I was never what you would call a devoted Christian. I have yet to turn my life over to the Lord. I will attest to this though. The Lord, or one of my guardian angels was with us in the cab of that truck. As many times as we rolled that truck and as bad as the damage was to it, someone had to be protecting all of us in there. I BELIEVE THAT! So now I have a new outlook on life. I live each day to the fullest as if there is never going to be a tomorrow. Because that day, tomorrow almost didn't come for us. That is what you call a wake up call. And believe me, we woke up!!! My advise to you, live your life to the fullest! You never know what tomorrow may bring. Because tomorrow may never come. Tell everyone in your life how much you love them, and spend as much of your time with your loved ones that you can. We found out how short life could really be. Thank You Lord for watching over my family and I. We are forever in you debt! Praise God! |
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