Life Changing Moment

Kelly and I at Scott and Lisa's wedding (No scratches)

Have you had a life changing moment? What did you do after that moment. I had a moment like that last year. It has driven me to work harder and do the best I can to experience life.

Last year, Kelly and I had a life changing moment. We were taking our first cross country road trip.

We would drive from Arizona to Ohio for my best friends wedding (I was the best man). After the wedding we would drive from Ohio to South Carolina to see my grandparents. From there we would head west. We would stop to see my father in Louisiana. They stop and see Kelly's parents in New Mexico.

Our trip was going well until we got to Oklahoma. Just outside of Tulsa we ran into some thunderstorms. We checked the radar on my phone and it looked like the worst has passed. I was so wrong. While Kelly was driving, strong winds and rain popped up without notice. The road went from dry to slick. Next thing you know, our car was spinning out of control.

Kelly was driving and I was just starting to close my eyes when I heard her say "uh oh." We weren't speeding, but anything over 50 miles per hour is fast! I looked up to see the concrete barrier the separates the highway coming at us fast. I grabbed onto the JC or the "Oh Sh!T" handle and looked at Kelly. I expected to see the car flip, air bags go off, or at worse, an explosion. Kelly kept control of the car and spun it just enough so the side of the car hit the wall.

At this point, the car bounced off the barrier and we went back across the highway. We came to a complete stop when the car hit the metal guard rail straight on. We were ALIVE!

Some how we didn't flip, explode or get hit by other cars or semi-trucks. After we stopped, I looked around to see if Kelly was ok and survey our situation. I smelled something burning, so I got out of the car to see what was left. I didn't see any smoke or fire, but I noticed the trunk was wide open.

In the middle of the highway were our bags, clothes and some of my speaking materials. It started to poor rain as I ran into the middle of the interstate to collect our stuff. I really wasn't thinking, I was just reacting. I grabbed everything I could and got it back to the car. Kelly was still buckled in the car. I checked on her before getting out of the car again. This time I waved cars out of the way. Our car was still in the highway. We stopped just past a blind turn and I didn't want anyone to hit us. I was also waiving for help.

Countless cars drove by without stopping. Finally two nice men stopped to help us out. They let us use their cell phone and they called the police for help. They barely spoke English, but that didn't matter. They had a heart and helped us. I did get their contact information and wrote them a long thank you note. I also told their employer how great they were.

While waiting for the police, I told Kelly how my head and ribs hurt. That's when we discovered what the burning smell was. The airbags on my side of the car had gone off. They kept me from slamming into the door and hitting my head on the window. The force of the airbags gave me "rug burns" on my head behind my ear, on my arm and on my ribs.

The police and tow truck finally showed up and took us to town. That's when we learned about the other accidents in the area. We also learned that it hadn't rained in over 45 days and we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Highways are slickest when it first starts to rain. It's even worse with all of the oils in the road from tires and vehicle fluids. The officer and tow driver said we were luck to be alive and said Kelly did a great job handling the car.

The car was totaled, but we were alive. Thank you GOD and thank you Honda Civic.

We would finally get a rental car and finish our cross country trip.

We learned that day that life is short. We made the rest of the trip the best trip possible. It was a tough time, but we worked together to make things work.

We're still a little nervous when driving in the rain or windy days. But, we're getting better and communicating when things make us feel uncomfortable (just like the weather that day.)

Everyone is going through tough time or will experience tough times. Just remember, no matter how tough things get, at least your still alive. After you do that, thank GOD for giving you life and make the most out of that gift.

Here are some pictures from the accident.

The rain stopped when the police showed up. Notice the big dent in the guard rail in front of the police car.

Felt a burning feeling on my arm. Air Bag Road Rash.

Never saw the side curtain air bag go off. So strong it ripped the ceiling of the car!

Asked Kelly if her laptop was safe in the trunk before we left the hotel. She said it would be fine. A few hours later, it got ejected from the trunk onto the highway. Amazingly, her dress for the wedding was fine. No trucks ran over it.

The side airbag left a nice mark on my head and ear.

Side airbag came out of my seat to protect me. Left a nice bruise on my ribs.

Thank you side air bags! Thank you Honda! You have loyal customers for life.
We replaced our civic with a Honda Accord a few weeks later.

Back quarter panel. Lucky we hit that and nothing else.

Scene of the accident a few hours later. No rain and barely a mark on the wall. Police told us these walls are designed to flip the cars so they don't go into on coming traffic. We got lucky.