God's Glory in Car Wrecks

So, I was in an automobile accident today. First major accident ever. I was fine, but the couple that clipped me didn't fare quite as well - the hospital here is pretty good, so if they had to get in an accident out of town, at least it was here where they're close to good care.

Actually, that's what this post is about. It was scary, and I was naturally freaked out and adrenalized, but it was so incredible to me how the situation unfolded. All I can say about it is that God is definitely present, and that he's looking out for me, but especially for the couple that hit me.

Let me set this up a little more for you. It's about 5:30 in the afternoon on a major artery for our city. Rush hour traffic is to be expected, and I've been in it enough times to have a decent feel for it. There's this one exit to get onto another major road, and it always gets a line that's backed up for a mile around this time of day. If that's the exit you want, be prepared to stop quickly, and then wait in the crawling queue for a bit until you can finally get off the interstate.

I'm driving a small, two-door truck, trying to get home to some dinner, and then to go meet with some friends. We've all got some place to go, right? Well, I'm watching the traffic ahead of me, and I see that the crawling line is coming up soon, but I must have misjudged how soon, because it came as a surprise when the car in front of me was braking, and then was stopped. So, I brake, and then I brake hard, trying to not hit the car in front of me. By God's great mercy, I did not. But, I was definitely going to hit it if I stayed in that lane, so I pulled a maneuver I've seen done before, and had to use once before: I swerved into the emergency lane.

Behind me is a couple riding one of those comfortable, trike motorcycles with an extra trunk trailing in the back. When I braked and swerved, I missed the car in front of me, but the couple behind me was just as surprised by the sudden change of events as I was, and they wound up still going too fast while I was halfway in the emergency lane, halfway in the travel lane. The wide rear of their trike hit the side of the truck and slid along the side a bit until they came to a stop ahead of me. (Here's a good visual of what their vehicle looks like. Picture.)

Here's where it gets awesome, in my looking back. The couple was older and from out of town, but praise God they were wearing good helmets, and they're in a city with a good hospital nearby.

The nature of the accident caused them to fall from their seats, but praise God they weren't thrown, and they didn't fall until their trike had reached a stop. Also, while their trike did tip, it didn't fall over and trap anyone.

I don't know how normal this is, but, praise God, a good number of people stopped to help - probably because of the nature of the accident (2 people visibly on the road), and also because we're all in close quarters at this time of day, so it's easier to see things unfold and quickly decide to pull over. Regardless, I needed them, and the couple definitely needed them. I learned a lot of things about the effects of adrenaline on me personally today, and one of them is that I can't think clearly or follow through very well. But within a couple minutes or less of the accident, a man came up and announced that he had called 911 already. Praise you, Jesus, because the number just kept ringing when I tried to call, once I had finally managed to get the call placed.

Among the others who stopped were some capable men, who, thank you God, were calm and level-headed, when I was barely able to think one step to the next. One was still in his military fatigues, coming from the Arsenal. One, for whatever reason, had medical equipment in the back of his van - EMS got to the scene before we needed him to use any of that, but he was prepared, and he probably brought even more calm and experience to the situation. A minute or two before EMS arrived, an ER nurse (wearing scrubs!) came up, announced her occupation, and took charge with evaluating the woman. She was able to quickly brief the EMS and paramedics once they arrived on scene.

Looking back, I'm amazed. I feel sad for this couple, that this happened to them while they were travelling, intending to just have a good trip. But I'm also really grateful that it wasn't any worse. They were wearing helmets, the accident was only about 5 minutes away (by ambulance) from one of the best hospitals in the region, they have people they're staying with near town (so there are others who can be with them), and their transportation was not irreparably damaged. For whatever reason, they are under special care, and I'm so glad.

As if God wasn't already doing enough by taking care of these strangers who happened to meet me today, he took care of me, too. I was already braking hard and getting off the road, so the shock of impact was somewhat diminished, and all I had to do was finish the action I had started. The airbags didn't go off, which prevented me from having injuries from that (it wasn't the type of accident that should trigger them anyway). By some miracle, I did the right thing by putting the truck in park, turning on the hazards, and then getting out of the car. I had my phone with me, so I was able to attempt calling 911, and I was able to get in touch with my emergency contacts. By God's grace, I had brought my driver's license with me - I'd just been out on a short errand, but brought my license instead of forgetting my whole wallet at home. The people who came to the aid of the couple were a comfort to me, because they had brains that were able to take more control of the situation, while I was still in the shock and adrenaline phase. The friends I'd been planning to meet up with happened to be driving down the same interstate, and one happened to look out the window at the wreck and saw me - so two of my best friends were able to be there with me and give me hugs and make sure I was okay and didn't need a ride. I even got a text from one of my friends and coworkers, who saw the accident and me, and asked if I was okay and if I needed a ride. Praise God, the truck was drivable, and praise God again that I wasn't so shaken up that I couldn't responsibly drive. Thank you Jesus, this isn't our only option for transportation, and it isn't a really expensive car, and it's insured, and I'm on the insurance.

Today definitely took a strange turn that I wouldn't want to repeat, but it had at least one positive outcome: God's glory. I'm praising God for his protection, his provision, and his plan! This all could have gone down so much worse, but it didn't. All glory to God!!