Accidents
Today, driving back up I-40, headed home from Hickory, the traffic began slowing down, pretty suddenly around Mocksville... Having my usual reaction to slowing traffic (imagine if you will, if you've never ridden with me; otherwise it will be pretty simple to figure out), traffic then came to a complete stop. Then my rational brain kicked in, and I looked up. EVERYTHING was stopped -- eastbound and westbound. I just happened to be less than 200 yards from the accident.
At that point, it was serious. I could see a truck flipped up on its side, and the median wire fence had played a role. There were at least 20 vehicles providing support, and so I calmed down for the long haul.
Over the next 30 minutes, as highway patrol, ambulances, and eventually a helicopter arrived to deal with the immediate issues, the urgency of the moment became more, and more heightened. It was odd to see the helicopter suddenly appear over the trees. I first thought it might be a news helicopter, but then it began to hover less than a couple hundred feet above the accident, and moved over to the interstate to sit down. Then the real nature of the accident became clear -- someone was very, very seriously injured.
At that moment, you have to stop and say a little prayer. After a few minutes, the copter took off, heading west momentarily before swinging around back to Winston-Salem, and the traffic slowly began moving, and separating into its regular motion. For us, our lives began moving again. The unknown injured parties were on their way to treatment, and hopefully being saved, and most of us were just glad we could move on.
For me, it was a brutal reminder that this driving on the road stuff is serious business, and I need to remain alert and aware of those dangers as I travel. And a way to remember that a little prayer, even for those unknown, is always good. That energy, delivering God's light and love in a small way, can make a difference. I've had two friends deal with serious medical issues this week, and another undergoing a very invasive cancer surgery next week. But at the end of the day, it is about being mindful of their needs, and less concerned about a lost 30 minutes on the highway to keep me centered on my own place in the world.
4 comments:
I stumbled upon your blog and I just want to thank you for your prayers, your kind words and your patience during your wait on this day.
One of the men from the wrecked truck is my brother. He is currently at WFUBMC (Baptist Hospital) fighting everyday for his life. He suffered severe head and brain trauma from the accident and underwent two emergency brain surgeries upon arrival at the hospital. If you are interested, the family has started a blog of his daily progress at:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/brandonhuie/journal
It is so easy for us to get caught up in our own little worlds and day-to-day life and sometimes forget what is really important. So far throughout this experience, I have learned that what may seem extremely important to us today, can all change in an instant.
Thank you again for your prayers and your patience on this day. And the next time you see a graphic accident, just remember, the involved parties could be someone's son, brother, or friend.
-JH
Hi, David ~ I am Jacob's wife, Brandon's sister-in-law. I want to thank you so much for posting this, and I am so glad that my husband stumble across it while searching for possible news stories about his brother's accident. In this day & age of go-go-go where everyone is in a hurry, what struck me most about your blog is that YOU took the time to realize the gravity of the situation, and not just whine and complain about time wasted being stuck in traffic. I applaud you for that. Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and patience while rescue workers raced to save this young man's life. He is still struggling, but it is SUCH a benefit for the family to know that people have been pulling for him & hoping for recovery quite literally since the MOMENT this accident happened. Thank you.
Jillian
I am the sister of man that was airlifted away from this accident. As with my brother and sis-in-law's comments above, I thank you for your candor and observance of the seriousness of this accident. My brother was very critically injured with extensive brain trauma in this accident. We are praying everyday as well as numerous others for his recovery. It has definately been an eye opening experience for us. Things can change in the blink of an eye.. Someone you love can be there one minute and gone the next. I thank God for his continuous miracles each and everyday for my brother as he fights for his life.
I am Brandon's oldest sister, Wendy. I totally agree with you as we often get so caught up in our personal hectic schedules that for traffic to come to a complete stop on a major highway is an inconvenience to most of us. I'm grateful that you reconized the urgency of this matter on this day. As you can imagine our lives were changed on this horrible day. Brandon fought for his life for almost 2 full weeks before making a turn for the better. We have had folks from all over the globe (literally) praying for him and his recovery. He has now made his turn for the good. His journey is far from over as he is still in the thick of the woods but he has turned. We have a long recovery road ahead of us but we are very thankful that he is just still here with us. He takes a baby step going forward every chance he can. I'm not sure why God allowed this to happen but I know there is a purpose behind it because things do happen for a reason even if we do not understand them. Prime example, you were sitting on I-40 this day for a reason - we were able to stumble across your blog. Your kind words have comforted our family more than you can ever know. My Mother cried when I read your blog to her and showed her the picture of the accident.
It is truly amazing how we are here one minute and gone the next. Most of us take that forgranted each and everyday. I can assure you that our family will no longer be one that takes it for granted as we have certainly witnessed a miracle in the making during this entire process. Our Christmas miracle came last week when he opened his eyes for my Mom for the first time since the accident. That was the best Christmas present we could have received. I pray that God will give others that are in a similar situation as you were on December 9th the patience to wait and reflect on the situation at hand before they start to get upset over the fact of waiting in traffic not knowing what maybe up ahead of them. Since this day I've been caught in traffic twice due to accidents. I've found myself praying for the folks involved, not knowing them or how bad the situation is at the time. But when you've been through what our family has been through and see the other families in the waiting room at the hospital going through similar situations - it changes you.
Thank you again for your kind words and your reflection,
Wendy Yokley
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