My son, for the second time in 3 weeks, was involved in a car accident. The first one was one his motor scooter: he ended up laying it down and slid into a car. The second one was last night: he was rear-ended. It wasn't entirely the other guy's fault (although legally that's not the way the insurance companies look at it.) A dog was off leash walking with its owner and all of a sudden it darted into the road, and the owner darted into traffic after it. Four cars were able to slam on their brakes in time to avoid both dog and idiot owner, one couldn't. My son was car #4 who had the unfortunate position of being #4 in front of #5 who couldn't stop in time.
Idiot dog owner scooped up his dog and ran from the scene. Fortunately, the other drivers stayed to help deal with the police.
Cars are replaceable. People aren't. The other guy's car is likely totaled. My youngest, who was also in the car at the time, took pictures. His engine block looks bent. , I can't imagine how fast he was going. Although side note: physics lesson. You don't have to be going "that fast" when you hit an immovable object to sustain major damage. Especially if you are a little car hitting a solid SUV.
My son, training to be a paramedic, went into emergency triage mode for all parties involved. Kind of cool actually. No one was (thank God) seriously injured, and my son's matter of fact approach helped calm everyone down.
When we got home, we were reflecting on the accident. My son said, "God must really love this family." I believe it's true, but it's an odd thing for an 18 year old to say. I asked why he said that? He replied, "look at all the accidents we've been in." (There have only been 3 but this month it sure feels like more!) "--------- (his sister) was hit by a car and could have been killed or a paraplegic," he recounted, "I laid down the scooter and slid into a car and could have been killed or a paraplegic, and then tonight, us or at least the other driver, could have been seriously hurt. God must really love us and have great plans for our family."
He's right on all accounts (including the God is actively invested in our lives part.) My daughter was hit by a car while she and her brother were riding their bikes, pinned underneath and dragged 25 feet before other drivers who saw it, were able to make the woman who hit her, stop. My son slid his scooter right into the car's undercarriage. The other guy, who is justifiably shaken up, is walking away from it.
It's funny (this is the great Mom part coming up), it hasn't occurred to either of my boys that they are victims, even though from a day to day standpoint, this throws a major wrench in our daily operations. Part of that comes from being prepared to deal with emergencies: a small emergency fund, really great insurance including car rental coverage. And it comes from handing down a legacy from my father which my kids have been drilled with virtually every day of their lives: when an emergency happens, take care of business first, there's time to panic and become hysterical later. My kids used to sigh a heavy sigh and roll their eyes....until an emergency happened (notably when my daughter was hit), and that mantra sprang right into action on autopilot for my son.
Most importantly, my son is right. God loves us. He loves you too. Bad things happen to good people. Sometimes (not tonight) those things are really, really terrible. Tonight could have been really terrible. The idiot dog owner could have been killed by drivers #1 or #2. Driver #5 could have gone through a windshield. But even if things had gone horribly wrong, the fact that God loves us, cares about us, and stands ready to lift us up, are all true. Tonight my family was forcibly reminded of that fact.
I hope your family is reminded is as well (albeit second hand!)
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