Part 4- It happens so fast...

***Sidenote:  I really don't mean to drag this out and irritate you all! Rachel's bed and the computer are in the same room, and I only have limited times of being on it.  Ideally I would write when she's sleeping, but it just doesn't work! Please forgive me :)  ***

We have left the party, I had all the kids in their carseats, about to pull out, when Josh calls and says that his parents are about 45 minutes away and I need to leave now.  Already on top of it, I feel like I'll be there in plenty of time!

For extra time though, I decided to take a back road that is more of a straight shot to their house.  This road always makes me a little nervous. It's got alot of curves, and it's real narrow. On top of that, I didn't realize that they had just repaved a portion of it.  I was nearing the end of the road, and my phone rang.  I glanced down for a second to find my phone, and my right tire went a little off the road.  This happens sometimes because the road is so narrow, so it wasn't a big deal.  But I was on the new portion that was recently paved, and there was a big drop off.  When I tried to get back on smoothly, there was a lip and I just couldn't get it back on the road. 

All of a sudden, I tried to pull it back on and I swerved back onto the road.  Out of fear, I swerved back the other way and overcorrected. I went off the right side of the road again, and then lost all control.  We swerved back into the road almost sideways, went several feet, hit a curve in the road sign, and into the right ditch and hit a fence.

It happened so fast. So fast actually, that my phone was still ringing.  I was in shock of what just happened.  I picked up my phone, saw that it was Denise and answered.  The babies were screaming, and I was freaking out.  I tried to open my door, and I couldn't.  I just remember saying to her, "We just wrecked, and I'm stuck in the car.  Send somebody." This must have freaked her out, looking back on it.  But all I could think about was getting to the babies and getting out, and I was stuck!  I knew she would let Josh know. 

I tried opening the passenger door, and it was stuck too!  I climbed over the seat, and went back to the babies. They were all crying.  Hannah was hysterical, and Elijah was starting to calm down when I got back to him.  I got them both out of their seats, and saw that they were ok.  The only door I could get open was the left sliding door.  I got it open and then got the two older ones out.  Rachel was wimpering the whole time, and when I got to her I realized that her side door was what hit the sign.  The window had busted, and she was completely covered in glass.  I just grabbed her whole seat, and we all made it to the side of the road.  I just wanted to be as far away from the van as possible, because I didn't know what was damaged or if it would catch on fire or what.  (maybe I watch too many action movies..)

We got far enough away, and I picked Hannah up.  Eli and Rachel were calm now, but Hannah was still screaming.  I realized she was physically ok, and just real scared.  I held her for a while, and she calmed down.  I sat her down on the grass, so I could check on Rachel.  She was laying there perfectly content, but with glass covering her.  I carefully got her out of her seat, and got most of the glass off of her.  I looked her over for cuts, and she had one small scrape on her forehead.  Otherwise she seemed to be fine!

At that time, a man came walking up.  He said that he lived a little ways down, and he was outside and heard it all.  He had called 911.  Another man pulled over to help.  These two men were soooo nice.  They just talked to me and calmed me down.  Hannah was still crying a little, and I realized that she had lost a shoe in the whole ordeal.  One of the men saw and went and found it for her.  They got me to sit down. And then Josh came.  I started to calm down then. 

A policeman showed up, and I told him what happened.  Then an ambulance came.  They looked over everyone, and looked over Rachel.  He cleaned up the spot on her forehead, and said that it was just a small scrape.  Everyone was very friendly and just wanted to help.  Josh's parents came too, because we were going to need a ride home.  The policeman came back over and said that looking at my tire marks, it looked like I just overcorrected like I said.  But because we were in the county, we had to wait for the State Patrol to come before we could leave.  So we just all sat and talked for a while waiting.

The policeman also said that I held control really good, because looking at my tire marks we should have flipped.  I know this isn't true.  Because I remember when we were going sideways, I just let go of the wheel.  I wasn't controlling anything.  I know God was there protecting us.  He was holding His hand on top of the van.  And looking at where we landed, He guided us into that ditch.  We landed RIGHT between two large trees. Directly in between so that I couldn't open either side door.  It would have been so much worse if we had hit a tree.  We hit the sign so hard, that it crushed the side door and shattered the glass, but I honestly don't really remember hitting it.  And He placed a shield over Rachel.  She was literally covered in glass, but had one nick that never bled again after it was cleaned.  We all walked away with not even a bruise.  God was definitely protecting us.

 

TO BE CONTINUED...