Here I was, expecting some gorgeous autumn leaves...
Instead, I got a snowstorm that dumped 8 inches of freezing, wet white stuff on the lawns and streets and caused hundreds of slide-offs, spin-outs, multiple car pile-ups, and so on. Sigh. And I so wanted some red and orange and yellow leaves. The skiers are thrilled. The ski resorts are happy. And I really don't mind snow, but when the first snowfall comes to Utah, everybody forgets how to drive.
I just spent 36 hours in a local hospital keeping my 20-year-old grandson company after the car he was riding in became the metal meat in a 10-car sandwich. Drivers going the posted speed limit on the freeway when conditions were slushy, snowy and icy...with lots of black ice!
A closed head injury...whiplash...badly sprained ankle...lacerations and near-asphyxiation from carbon monoxide after the car was hit several times from several directions and ended up on its side smashed between several other cars. He got the sprained ankle from dragging his foot out from under a crushed seat, and using it to kick out the windshield as noxious fumes and exhaust filled the car. His glasses flew somewhere...he lost a shoe...they cut his clothes off when the paramedics arrived to see where all that blood was coming from. He had bitten his tongue, his teeth had come through his lips, and he took half a dozen stitches on his chin to close a deep laceration.
Sigh. He will be missing a week or so of work, since the bleed in his brain may make it hard to think and concentrate, or even walk a straight line for a few days. The most amazing thing is...all three guys in the car survived. After seeing the accident report on the evening news later, I couldn't believe anyone survived. And right then, I knew God was riding with them that afternoon. They were badly battered and utterly terrified.
All three young men were utterly thrilled to be alive. Like my grandson said after he came back from his CT Scan, "Now I know what it feels like to be hit by 9 cars!"
Please, please, please caution your kids about driving slower and avoiding the freeways when the weather is this nasty. There were a couple dozen multiple-car accidents that night, and some were fatal. I feel blessed that this one had no fatalities, and I am more than certain that the guardian angels were out enmass with that one!
So, on Thanksgiving Day, you can bet this author will be giving thanks for not having to attend a funeral. And for having my family intact.
Take care...
Fran Lee
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