So Long Old Friend

The last time I saw my 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan, it was on top of a flat-bed trailer, and it didn't look so good. 

Yeah...it had a mishap.  With a Chevy Tahoe to be exact.  It wasn't the Chey's fault though. 

Last Tuesday, we were on our way to Social Skills Camp.  I had Joshua, Christina, and Theresa with me.  (Rebecca is an awesome babysitter, and she was at home with Gabriel).  We were stopped at a light just a mile from the house.  The light turned green, and I turned to say something to Joshua as traffic moved forward.  I turned back to the road, and realized the SUV in front of me had come to a dead stop.  I remember thinking,

"Oh, no...I'm not going to be able to stop in time!"

I know everyone says it happens so fast.  It really does.  The next thing I know, I hear a loud "BANG!" 

That would be me, plowing into the Chevy. 

I then remember opening my eyes, and seeing this funny, white ballon-looking thing in front of me.

That would be the now deflated airbag.  Amazing, even though the van was 10 years old, it still worked the way it was supposed to. 

Then the horror of the accident hit me.  Christina was crying in the seat right behind me.  Theresa was in the seat next to her, and she was screaming.  Joshua was saying, "Mom, did we have an accident?"

My brain seemed to be on pause...and then like a light switch, my adrenaline kicked into overdrive.

I called to my little girl: "Christina, it's okay sweetie, it's okay!  Are you alright?  Is Theresa okay?" 

"Yes Mommy, I think I'm okay.  Theresa is okay too!"  I could tell Joshua was fine, since he was in the front next to me. 

Thank God my children were all right.  If they had been hurt, I would have blamed myself a thousand times.  I already felt terrible that I hadn't been paying attention, and couldn't stop in time. 

I found my cell phone, and decided even though the kids appeared fine, I needed to call 911.  It took three tries, my hands were shaking so hard.  Finally, I dialed the number correctly, and told the dispatcher what had happened.  She kept me on the line long enough to get our location, determined we needed an ambulance, etc.  Then she told me I could hang up and call my husband. 

I called David.  I was trying so hard not to cry, but I did...I told him we were okay, but that the van was totaled.  He asked me where we were, and I told him the intersection.  He said,

"Honey, those 2 streets don't intersect, where are you again?" 

After telling him the same thing at least 6 more times, I realized I was wrong.  I wasn't at Louetta and Cypresswood, I was at Louetta and Ella.  Lord have mercy. 

At this point, people had stopped, and offered to help us get out.  We were right in the middle of the road, and one very kind man (whose name I can't recall now) and a woman (really an angel in disguise) named Carmen helped us across the street to a gas station.  The same 2 kind souls also got Theresa out of her car seat, and then the car seat itself out of the van.  I cannot tell you how relieved I was to hold our sweet baby girl safety in my arms.  I was able to gather my wits and take a closer look at all the kids.  They were fine...not a single scratch, bruise, or bump of any kind.

Thank you Lord.  Thank you, thank you, thank you.

I called David again and told him were were fine, and exactly where we were so he could find us.  I then called the dispatcher back, and aplogized for giving her the wrong address. She said, "Oh, don't worry honey, someone else called us, and the EMT's are on their way."  (I still feel terrible about that.)

The EMT's came, and asked if we were all right.  They looked over the kids, and said they looked just fine, but warned we might be sore from the impact the next day.  One EMT pointed out a big scrape on my left arm, probably from the airbag, but it was relatively minor, and I didn't need treatment for it.  After just 20 minutes or so, they left. 

At this point, David was still en route.  We made our way to the Sonic next door to the gas station so the kids would have someplace to sit in the shade.  Someone brought over a watermelon slushie for the kids...which they appreciated.  The van had been towed out of the intersection, and the tow driver was patiently waiting for me to decide what to do with it.  My heart sank to it's absolute lowest when I got a better look at it...I knew it was not salvagable, and would cost far more to repair than it was actually worth.  Oh man.

During this time, 3 constables had arrived at the scene, and taken my statement.  There were actually 4 vehicles involved.  I had hit the Chevy in front of me.  The Chevy hit the sedan in front of her because the impact from my van pushed her forward. Then another sedan hit me from behind, because she was also unable to stop in time.  So technically, we were #3 in a four car-pileup.  I still don't know why traffic had come to a stop in front of me, and we might never know, unless the police report reveals something (which should be ready in a couple more days). 

One of my neighbors just happened to be driving through the Sonic for a drink.  She saw Joshua and Christina sitting at one of the tables, and then found me.  Joshua was anxious to go to camp, (they were going to Main Event that day), and she offered to take Christina home, and then run Joshua to camp for me.  I gratefully accepted her act of kindess.  What a blessing that was! 

David finally arrived, and I nearly lost it.  My wonderful, sweet, calm husband said,

"Honey, it's okay.  It's just a van.  I'm just glad you all are okay.  Really, don't worry about it." 

Thankfully, everyone in all four vehicles were fine.  Nobody needed any medical treatment.  And everyone was rather nice, as nice as a person could be after a car accident.  (The driver of the Chevy actually goes to our church, ironically enough, and she recognized me, although I didn't know her.  So now we know each other ;-).  The one constable who finished working the scene was nice too...even when he presented me with my citation.  Yes, I got a citation for "failure to control speed."  The driver who was behind me got a citation too. 

Rats.  Defensive driving, here I come. 

Finally after having the van towed, David took me and Theresa home.  I cannot tell you the flood of emotions that hit me.  I bawled nearly the whole way home, but I could only cry for about 3 minutes (remember, we were barely a mile from the house).  I didn't want to scare the kids, and we had decisions to make.  Once home, I nursed Theresa, got her down for a late nap, and sat down with David.  I was still shaky, but I could think clearly.

We got a rental car for David, (it was cheaper than a van, plus I could use his truck for the time being) started sending out emails to a few car dealerships, and called our insurance company.  Over and over, I kept apologizing to my hubby.  He just told not to worry, brought me water, medicine, and gave me a reassuring hug.  After leaving to get the rental, I made lunch for the kids.  Once David got back, it was time to pick up Joshua.  I wasn't quite ready to get behind the wheel, so David brought him home, and then left to go back into work.

The next day, I was sore...my chest had a humdinger of a bruise, my arm was a nice shade of purple, and my neck ached.  But it was manageable.  The kids were perfectly fine...so glad for that. 

Today, after spending all day out looking a minivans, we came home with this.  "It's a Kia."

It's got way more bells and whistles on it than my old, plain Jane Dodge van.  Of course, the kids were thrilled.  I still miss my old van.  But I admit, it's kinda neat to have power sliding doors and tailgate, rear view camera, built in CD and DVD players.  Pretty sure it will take me a while to figure everything out.  It's also the first, brand-new vehicle I've ever had. :-)

So, in a nutshell, this week has been way more exciting than I wanted it to be.  But overall, I've learned that God works in interesting ways.  I mean, doesn't He always?  We had a wreck, but there were angels around us.  We lost an old friend, but gained a new one, which hopefully will be around for a long, long time.  And we are thankful nothing was really lost, and nobody was hurt.  We came home with all our treasures intact. 

Once more, we thank you Lord.