van accident

I figure its about time I wrote this down. We were involved in a rear-end collision on the freeway a couple weeks ago. Our van is a total loss. It was a pretty scary experience for all of us. We were coming home at about 10:30 p.m. and we came to a place where road construction was just beginning to get set-up and the lanes were being narrowed. Everyone was putting on the brakes. We were in one of the right hand lanes and the guy behind us didn't hit his brakes and rammed into the rear of our van. Somehow we were pushed far enough that we ended up on the left hand side of the freeway about 1/4 mile or so from the initial impact. The rear window was broken out and there was nothing left of the rear of our van. There was nothing left to protect Ryan and Jacob in the back seat. We called 911 and they said they would dispatch help right away. Ten minutes later we called 911 again because no one had come. We were put on hold and then finally got connected to a dispatcher and had to wait another 20 minutes before emergency vehicles arrived. Most of that time was spent praying and trying very hard not to panic or go into shock. We were so afraid that we were going to get hit again by the traffic cruising by at 70 mph. Miraculously, none of us were seriously injured. I had whiplash and somehow got a cut on the back of my head that required stitches -- well, actually 4 staples -- at the ER. Mark had huge bruises on his arms and a bit of whiplash and the boys haven't complained of anything except a small bruise or scratch here and there. We are all doing fine now. I know that even though it was an awful experience, we were being watched over and protected by God. A higher power got us into a "safe" place and kept us safe while we waited for help. I am so grateful for God's blessings. I'm also grateful for good friends who came to our rescue at 11:30 p.m. to drive us home. I also don't think it was just coincidence that when I woke up the next day and pulled a t-shirt from the drawer the one on top was my angel babies shirt.

The aftermath: The insurance has been a huge hassle and we are still waiting for the claim to be settled. Many thanks to G&G Vawdrey for the use of their car while we figure out what we are going to do about replacing the van. If I had a spare $60,000 sitting around I'd purchase something like a Hummer to drive us around -- bigger and heavier must mean safer right? I don't think they allow armoured tanks on the roads, darn it! Physically we are all fine. Emotionally, we are getting there. The boys don't want to ride in the back seat of the van anymore -- I don't blame them. I look at vehicles in a totally new way now -- such as, what the heck are we thinking cruising around in these tin cans believing we are safe? We could be crushed at any moment. Time heals wounds and everything will work out -- and that's a good thing.