We learned about Guardian Angels

June 13, 2010 · Filed under Uncategorized

This week in our home, we learned first hand the meaning of guardian angels. 

To preface the story I want to first say that I am a very safe driver –  I just received my first speeding ticket within the year ( 40 mph in a 30mph when I honestly thought the speed limit was 40mph ) — the extent of my accident history includes backing into Chase’s truck coming out of the driveway — I am the person that stops at yellow lights and rarely turns right on a red light just to be safe.

Wednesday morning I was headed to school…it was raining and Chase sent me a text message saying “Be safe. Love you.”  This was rare, so I assumed the roads were slippery and the traffic was bad.  I had gotten about 10 miles from the house…I was headed south on Mopac (Loop 1) and took the exit ramp to get onto Capital of Texas Hwy (360).  The exit ramp curves around to the left and everyone had slowed down significantly I suspect I was going 30 – 35 mph.  I remember that as I was turning my car began to spin.  All the years my dad telling me if you ever start spinning turn into the spin I took my foot of the gas and turned the wheel into the spin.  I can still remember thinking and saying “F@$% just stop!!!”   At some point my car stopped spinning and slide directly to the left off the road hit the ditch surrounding the wall and flipped.  My driver side window crashed and my air bags deployed.

  I can close my eyes and play this back over and over in my mind.  The yellow school bus was still running–wheels spinning — and smoking.  I immediately knew that I had to get out.  Although now I know cars can’t explode like the movies, at the time I thought it could and at the least I didn’t want it to catch on fire and me be stuck inside.  It’s strange something in your body kicks in and you just do what you need to do.  I got my seat belt off, put my car in park so the wheels would stop spinning, pushed open the passenger side door, and with the help of a gracious bystander who stopped to help, I climbed out of the car.  About 6 people stopped to help and to help call 911–everyone’s phone kept dropping their call.  I think back and with all the technology and the fact that we weren’t in the boonies or anything – no one could keep a signal with 911?!?  I had someone call Chase, because once the thought went through my head that the kids were home and safe, I had and needed to see Chase.  He rushed over and when I saw him I feel apart.  The fire trucks, ambulance, and police got there within about 8 minutes.  The EMS guy looked at me and asked me if I really climbed out of the car — then they looked at the lemon sized swelling that was bulging from the inside of my right knee and knew the I must have had an insane amount of adrenaline pumping through my body.

 

Long story short, I got to the ER — received a huge shot of something amazing in my buttocks and had every bone, muscle, and nerve touched, pinched, and pushed on.  They let me leave with a RX for Hyrocodine and told me my “official” diagnosis was a contusion to the right knee.  At the ER some of the nurses said a few things that, in their own odd humor, was trying to make me feel better—but interesting as it was.  One said, “A lady was in an accident yesterday and it was not near as bad as yours and she is a quadriplegic”.  The other one said, “Someone must mean for you to do something good with your life to give you a second chance like that”. 

Well, at the time I was still in shock and was only thinking about the “What if’s??” and the “What could have happened?”  Now that I look back and can still replay the events — I know that there was a guardian angel looking over me and that I am so lucky and blessed to just have some soreness in my body and a nasty bruised knee.  The orthopedic said it’s just badly bruised and still swollen, but looks really well and is healing well for the time frame.  It’s been 4 days since the accident and below is a photo of my knee.

 

 

I know it looks nasty, but it’s so much better!  I am lucky — lucky in so many ways.  We have purchased a new vehicle…an Expedition — the closest thing to a tank that I could get Chase to buy me.  We purchased 3 of the top safety rated car seats and the new car has the side curtain air bags as well as the LATCH system that allows the car seats to be latched into the seats of the car.  We are taking the SAFE route!!  I have yet to drive since the accident and don’t know that I will be able to take that road again anytime soon — however I feel very blessed and thank God everyday that things happened the way they did.

I have some amazing friends who have jumped in to help with dinners, and just being there is we need anything.  It is times like this that I value my true friendships so much!!  The Fromberg’s have learned all about guardian angels…the hard way!!!