This Monday started out like any other. I was up at 5:30 to take Timbo out for his morning potty break. I folded a load of laundry and started another by 6:00. I was out of the shower by 6:30. Woke the kids up at 6:50. And we all piled into the van by 7:30. But the similarities stop there.
You know how they say most accident happen less than 5 miles from home. Well, we've become one of those supporting statistics as of 7:33 am this morning. We only made it a mile from home.
The winds yesterday were terrible; 40 mph for most of the day. It began with a rain storm around 3:00 am Sunday. I know, because Timbo woke us up early with an unscheduled urge and I was the one who stood outside in the cold, dark, wind-whipped rain to appease it. We lost power by 5:00 am. I know that too, because when the answering machine above the bed began beeping due to the power flickering it woke me and I checked the clock just before it flicked off. At 7:30 am power returned as we listened to the fax machine and printer power back up and run alignment tests. All this time the wind never ceased, but by now the rain had turned into icy snow like sleet.
At 8:00 am, church leaders called to say the power was still out on the Twin Falls County side of Murtaugh (we live on the Cassia County side), so they were going to cancel church. The wind and icy snow never really let up through the entire day, but dense fog came and went and we only lost power for about another hour around 4:00 pm when the frozen icy rain/snow build-up, due to the constant 40 mph winds, broke more power lines. As the wind continued until around 1:00 am the following morning, the already icy roads just got icier, as the wind helped to form a two inch thick sheet of ripped ice.
I knew when I pulled out of our driveway, the roads would be terrible. The ice was everywhere! I was driving slower than normal and watching up ahead to where the most treacherous portion lied. Unfortunately, I wasn't aware that we were already in trouble.
All I did was let off the gas to start allowing our van to decelerate on it's own before I came to the crest of the hill and began the decent to Hwy 30. We immediately began to fishtail. It was slight to begin with, but began to increase without encouragement. Not being a motor-head, like my husband Shannon, I didn't realize our van was a front-wheel drive. As I thought about all the things I was taught in Drivers Ed. many, many years ago, I lightly tapped the brakes, which is what they tell you to do in class. This, I was later informed by Shannon, is the wrong this to do in a front-wheel drive vehicle. It instantly sent us wildly fishtailing. Thinking that turning into the direction we were veering (also something they teach you), would help the situation I began to do so. That wasn't Good Either!
What's really weird about situations like this, is that at that exact moment it's all happening -which is usually just a mater of seconds- a million things run through your mind. I had already asked my kids if they all had their seat belts on when we first began to fish tail, so I knew they were as safe as I could make them at that point. I had a few options, because we were going to go off the road, and at the angle we were sliding, rolling the van was inevitable if I couldn't get it straightened out. So all the scenarios began to play in my head. Unfortunately, they were fast disappearing.
Ideally, using a stretch of road clear of other vehicles to regain control is the best option. But we only had a 3/4 mile of ice covered hill-slope facing in the wrong direction, downward, before we'd T into a highway of semis, cars, and trucks commuting to work. It was very apparent that wasn't an option.
As we were veering to the right quite quickly, going off the road into the large field on the right would have been the next best option. There are no ditches between the road and the fields near our home, so we could possibly skip rolling the van and just come to a stop way out in the middle of the frozen dirt, then drive back to the road and be on our merry way. But a concrete irrigation ditch, splitting two fields and running cross ways to the road, had to be passed first. I was sure if we hit that we'd flip or roll, but if we missed it, which I thought we would, it was the safest field to hit. No sooner did all of this register with me, when I saw it. In the field, only five feet from the road and sitting parallel to the road, was a length of wheel line for irrigating that stretched at least a quarter mile. And right where we'd enter the field, about 20 feet passed the concrete irrigation ditch, stuck out 15 foot of pipe on the end of the wheel line that would impale the van.
Envisioning the wreck on the Interstate early last spring, when a woman was killed after being impaled by a line of irrigation pipe being pulled on a trailer in front of her, which had suddenly slowed, I wasn't willing to risk hitting it, as I knew that it would hit in one of two places, both of which were occuppied by my children.
At this point, I told the kids to be calm and hold on because we were going to wreck. I knew I had no other choice, at that moment, so I simultaneously slammed on my brakes and yanked the steering wheel to the left as far and hard as I could while hanging on to the steering wheel. This sent us flying across the ice, spinning out-of-control, but it also changed our direction to that of the field on the left and away from the deadly wheel line. Unfortunately, the left field has a concrete irrigation ditch that runs the length of it parallel to the road, which is elevated about 3 feet, with a sloped dirt embankment. That meant we couldn't just enter the field and slowly coast to a stop. We would be laying the van over, rolling, or flipping depending on how we made contact. We spun two full rotations and on the third, the left side (passenger side) tires hit the dirt embankment as we were now moving backwards. This caused the van to tip. We slid thirty feet and rolled up on the passenger side of the vans roof, but the embankment was steep enough to send the van back down on it's passenger side, as we continued to slide on our side and bounce until we came to a complete stop, missing both telephone poles.
It shattered the passenger side windows, filled the van with dirt, ripped off the mirror, broke all the front and rear lights on that side, dented both doors, jammed one, scratched the entire length on the van, and bent the wheels. It also messed up the underneath so the van won't drive forward real well. Pretty much it's way messed up and would cost more to fix than it's worth.
But after we stopped and all was quite I chose to count my many blessings. I worry all the time that I fail as a mother, though I try my hardest. I always feel like I don't do enough and should somehow be able to. In addition to that, I anguish everyday that I won't be able to keep my children safe and remove unneccessary suffering through out their lives. It's a great ache all mothers and fathers feel the moment they hold that newborn baby in their arms for the first time and feel the greatest form of love any human can have for another. The love of a parent for their child.
Though I am not the super working, super housewife, super woman-mom of my dreams, I did realize as I counted my blessings in that moment, that I was great mom.
I have taught and enforced seat belt wearing to my children and husband not only through my instruction, but also through my actions, by always wearing mine as well as putting it on before we leave. I was also thankful that I set such an example to my children, that they knew how to follow the Lord's commandment, to honor and obey thy mother and father, so that when we asked them to do something important and good they were ready and willing. I am extremely thankful for the invention of seat belts, as Baylon was sitting on the passenger side and endure thiry feet of dirt, rocks, and shattering glass spraying his face and body; and which kept him, his brother Triston, and sister Orion safely within the vehicle, even though many items from the very back cargo area, behind Triston's back seat, flew out the broken windows and were found beneath the van once it was righted again.
Through all of that we can out completely unscathed. Not one of us was injured in anyway! Not even a scratch! We were able to get out of our seat belts, open and hold open the driver's side door, even in the wind, and get out to walk to a nearby house, where we were given a ride home.
I am so thankful for our Father in Heaven and the many blessings he gives us. For the Holy Ghost who watches over and guides us; who was with me this morning. I am thankful for an understanding Husband who shared in my joy that we were all okay and could have cared less about the van. For our kindly neighbor who cared about the weird noise they heard enough to come investigate and see us walking away from such a wreck. I am thankful to be alive and safe with all of my family and have one more day to share with each of them.
So as you say your prayers tonight, and every night, always remember to thank the Lord for the many blessings he so freely gives to each of us each day, and never stop counting your blessings!
Passenger side of the van.
Where Baylon sat.
Filled the van with dirt, rocks, and glass.
Trashed the TV and scattered everything everywhere.
Oh I am so glad you and your kids are alright. I was on the edge of my seat reading this. Thanks for the reminder of prayers and what our Heavenly Father does for us.
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