While Mark left to go to Shreveport I decided to stay behind and go out to eat with my paternal grandparents, great-grandmother, great aunt and uncle, mom, dad, and brother. We had a great meal, with Reid eating SO MUCH FOOD I thought he would burst. We had a wonderful time of fellowship and were in good spirits when we left. Reid and I went with my mom and brother who were on their way to Kohls to get Adam some dress pants for a new job he started that very day. On the way out I called "shotgun" on my brother (first one to call it gets to ride in the front), just to be funny. So mom was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and Adam was in the back with Reid-Man, and the mood was joyful, we had talked about how we were gonna get ice cream after we got done shopping. We needed gas, but decided to do that after shopping too.
We are on the road that will lead us to the opening of the driveway to the store. There is a traffic light that conducts a four way stop. It is quite a busy light because it directs traffic from walmart and into a big shopping center, restaurants, and a big movie theater. Our light was green so we continued on down the road. All the sudden we notice a green Tahoe turning left, right in front of us. We all thought, surely he isn't going to keep going, surely we will miss him, surely, surely, surely. . . BANG.
We hit the side of their car with force. Not as much as it could have been since mom wasn't speeding and had hit the brakes as soon as she realized what was happening. She tried to swerve to miss them, but we think they might have hit their brakes when they realized what had happened. Before I knew it we were stopped abruptly, the air bags had deployed, and I was screaming. I didn't mean to at all, and it is one of the few times that things came out of my mouth that I didn't have control over. I screamed "Oh my God, Reid! Reid! Reid!!!" (all the while thinking "I don't say 'Oh my God', why am I screaming it?") My brother is in the back saying "He's ok, he's ok!" and my mom telling me "He's fine, he's fine!!" I couldn't turn around and look at him though. I remember my brother unbuckling Reid and getting out of the car, my mom getting out and going around to grab him, and me just sitting there. I couldn't move. I remember seeing the kids who were in the Tahoe, scared looking, running around, not knowing what to do. I remember being surprised we hit them, I really thought we were gonna miss it.
All I could think was, "I can't move, I really can't move, can't breathe." My brother said he heard me say "I can't feel my legs" before he got out to which he thought "Oh man I don't want to see that." I don't remember saying that I couldn't feel my legs, I do remember saying I couldn't move. I was in shock. Adam came around to my side of the car and told me I needed to get out. I told him no, that I couldn't. He said "Kristen, you have got to get out of the car." This is where reason took over, I thought to myself, "The car could blow up, not matter if you can breathe or not, you have to get out." I took off my seat belt and got out of the car and stumbled over to the grass, off the road, listening to mom ask people to call 911 and to stay as witnesses. I get Reid, see he has blood in his mouth, but that he had only bit his lip. I then realize I can't hold him for long, that my back is hurting. I hand him to my brother who feeds him the rest of his bottle to calm him down before taking him to my grandmother who we called and came to help. I sit down because I can't do anything else.
Someone brings me my phone from the car and I call Mark who had just reached Shreveport. I told him what happened and he abruptly turns around, as does my dad, missing a meeting he had a work. I am just sitting there, talking to the 911 workers, answering questions, waiting. All the sudden this lady comes up and hands me an ice cold water in a cup from A&W (I don't think there is an A&W store in our town) and a sack full of cold bottle waters. This makes me and my mom break down as we thank her, she tells us she is praying for us, and goes to hand some water to the other kids in the car. We got her name, but that is all. I don't know how she got their so fast, where she came from, or where she went, but we are so grateful to her. She was the hands and feet of Jesus to us. I told Mark that I would like to do that if we ever drive by a fresh wreck scene if it was at all possible.
They ask us if we need to go to the hospital, we say no, and then sort through what we need to do. Our car gets towed away and we go up to the parking lot where my family is, as well as my mom's friends, a couple from church, who were in town that night. We all decide that we need to go to the ER to be checked out. We get there, Mark shows up, I break down again, get x-rays, get Reid checked out (fine except for a few scratches from the straps), get meds, and head home.
So yeah, super crazy, eye opening, and makes us so thankful that we are all ok. It could have been much worse. Here are a few pictures of the cars. They are taken from my dad's iphone.
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| This is a frontal view of Mom's car |
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| The vehicle we hit. |
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| View of the passenger side where I sat. |
2 comments:
Glad you guys are aok!
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