Close Call

I'm sure you've all experienced it before.....you're driving down the freeway and some crazy driver zips by you going way too fast and it sort of startles you and rattles your nerves a little. Well, it sort of happened like that, only it wasn't a freeway.....

Megan and I were leaving her dr appt and were driving north on 87th ave. We were on a two lane road (one lane going north, one south) and a white car races by us on the left, basically entering oncoming traffic. I shake my head thinking, wow they are going way too fast and aren't even in a lane. In a split second we came upon a median with landscaping in it leaving no room now for the car to continue to pass drivers. I thought for sure now they were going to have to slam on the brakes and hopefully get in the lane......this did not happen. Without even braking, the car hit the median jumped up and slammed into a minivan two cars ahead of us. The minivan flipped around and the white car slammed into a brick retaining wall and wedged itself between a light post and the brick retaining wall. My immediate thought was that the white car driver must be having a medical emergency and passed out or something.

The rest of us that witnessed the accident pulled over and good samaritans ran over to the cars and checked to see who might need help. What I saw next broke my heart. One child was pulled out from the back seat....another child was pulled out from the back seat. Some smoke was coming out of the engine and they were trying to get the passengers out. Here comes the ambulance now. Then I noticed the "helpers" were starting to leave and I jumped out to make sure someone could stay to wait for the police. I told them I could stay....I then asked if something was wrong with the driver and one of the guys that was helping the passengers said he was pretty sure the driver was intoxicated......then it all made sense....the crazy driving, not even braking before he hit the median and slammed into the other car, and then my observation of his somewhat oblivious attitude to his injured child passengers, but it was 3pm on a Tuesday afternoon, it was the furthest thought from my mind that it could be a drunk driver. Yes, I know I'm jumping to conclusions and I have no actual proof that he was drunk but the whole thing just gave me the chills watching it all play out in front of me. By this time the police were there and I gave my statement and watched two firetrucks pull in.

Now keep in mind my daughter is in the back seat and has also witnessed everything I have seen. As we were waiting for police to arrive and she saw me call 911, I was able to talk to her about what happened and we were able pray together for the kids. Here I was with my daughter driving home like any other day and we were spared a serious accident by a couple car lengths. That's why we pray for safety.

I must say that I also have a newfound respect for first responders. They show up to scenes like that and do their job day in and day out.

Thank you Lord for keeping us safe.......