18 years ago today, my life changened forever. I came home from my 3rd grade class, eager to go watch my sister dance with her performance group in Logan. She had to arrive early and caught a ride with my uncle and cousins while the rest of the family waited for my dad to come home. Something had broke on our truck and the family was down to one car for the rest of the week.
Around 6:00 pm my dad, mom, little 3 year old brother, and myself loaded up in our two door 1985 Oldmobile. My dad had to take a test for his referee re-certification and had my mom drop him off, but as she pulled into the parking lot she got the feeling to leave my little brother with him. I remember very well, dad strongly opposed to that idea saying, "Diane, how am I suppose to take a test with him running around?" Well, Mom persuaded Dad into taking Tyler with him in only a matter of seconds with out a big argument. ( Tyler told us that he remembers this too and Dad told us Tyler sat still on the floor next to the table and didn't make a sound).
Happy to be going on a girls night out, I climbed into the front seat and fastened my seat belt. The two of us were on our way and it began to snow. Being winter the sun had set and it was dark, but our car (we called her Kate) had what my dad called "meaty tread on the tires"and we'd be okay. As soon as we were on Highway 91, just past the Preston sewer plant, the car fish tailed. Mom gripped the wheel and gasped, but straightened us out each time. She said to me, "I'd better slow down to 45 MPH. I don't want to wreck." I rolled my eyes and said,"But MOM, I want to get there in time to watch LeAnn dance." She shrugged and slowed down while I glared out the side window.
We rounded the corner by Little Mountain in Whitney and my mom gasped again. I looked over at her as she said,"Laci, we're going to wreck!" I didn't believe her, cause she always seemed to freak out over any slip of the tires, but I realized very soon this time it was different. The car spun and slid sideways down the road. I looked out the window and saw the headlights of on coming traffic headed right for me. The last thing I remember was the bumper of a car coming through the door and hitting the right side of my body.
My mom told me when she woke up, I was still buckeled in my seat but hanging upside down, eyes open and not breathing, Can you imagine the pain my mom felt thinking her daughter was dead?
At the hospital, my parents were told the entire right side of my body was crushed, thankfully it wasn't. Only my feet, the right one taking most damage. The tiny 8 year old foot had been smashed so bad that the doctors couldn't find some of the bones. Because of this, I had to re-learn to use and control my feet to walk again. My two outside toes should have been amputated, but weren't. So now they look funny. They haven't grown since that day and the little toe was so deformed that it is placed on the top of my foot. Yeah, everyone laughs at it, but I don't care. It's a constant reminder that I lived through that for some bigger reason.
Looking at the photo's of our car, if my brother wouldn't have gone with my dad or if I would have stayed in the backseat, we would be dead. I couldn't find the photo to post, but I'm betting it's at my mom's. I will go look and post it if I find it. Thanks for sitting this long to read this very long story.
xoxo,
Laci
2 comments:
Holy cow! That's scary! That was an intense story for me! I'm so thankful I have never been in a wreck. (knock on wood!) I'm glad you survived cause your one awesome person!
It's kinda funny, I was thinking about this just the other day. I don't remember that much, just that I was excited when you were able to come back to school and that you were in a wheel-chair and that I felt bad. It's crazy to see the Lord's hand when we look back at how things like this played out. I'm glad you were okay (mostly).
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