Oh boy. I don’t even know where to begin with this.
Alright. This past Wednesday and Thursday were such wonderful days. Wednesday we got a birthday package from Brad’s Mom – Brad is my hubbys name if you don’t know already. His birthday is the 11th (yesterday) and mine is this Wednesday, the 15th. It was a beautiful day Wednesday and everything seemed great. Thursday, It stormed but when it calmed down a bit we went to town to the store for a bit and had a great time. On our drive home, the rain had stopped, the sun was shining. I saw a rainbow so we pulled over and got out of his truck and over a big field with trees on each side was the MOST beautiful rainbow I’ve ever seen. The sky behind the field was dark with white clouds yet behind us on the opposite side, the sky was blue with white clouds and sun. Then a bigger bird (I’m guessing stork, crane, something of that like) flew across the green, green field and It was like something out of a painting. The rainbow was SO bright and clear you could see EVERY color of it. Then another faded rainbow appeared above that one and it was all so beautiful.
We had weekend birthday plans. Brad’s Stepmom had gotten a baby Pomeranian from her Aunt who breeds them and I wanted one for my birthday so we had already called and made plans to meet up with Brad’s Stepmoms Aunt at Petsmart @ 6PM Friday night to pay and pick up the puppy. The puppy being Brad’s birthday present from him to me! Saturday, Brad’s Grandparents wanted to take us out to eat for our birthdays. Sunday, my Mom wanted us to come to her house and she was gonna cook us a birthday lunch. Thursday night, Brad told me to be ready to go out the door when he got home from work Friday afternoon.
Friday came and at around 2:30PM, I got dressed, got my makeup on and straightened my hair. Put on my shoes and then got the box for the baby Pomeranian ready, got Brad’s Stepmoms Aunts number handy so we could call her if something came up and got my brush, cellphone and everything together. I sat and waited for him to come home. Round 2:45PM, I started getting worried about him driving home and had this bad feeling.
Then I heard an ambulance. I thought, “Nah.. can’t be.”
A few minutes later, the phone rang. I thought It would be Brad calling to tell me he was on his way home.
Nope.
Looked @ the caller ID and my thoughts turned worse when I saw It was his Grandma. I picked up the phone and she said…
He had been in an accident and that she or Brad’s Aunt would come get me and take me to the scene.
OH. MY. GOSH. I was so freaked out.. so scared. I didn’t know what to think.. I paced and paced and paced the floor until Brad’s Aunt came flying in our driveway. I got in the car with her and she was freaking out as well. She grabbed a hold of my hand and I squeezed her hand tighter and tighter as we went down the Highway 23 where the accident had happened. We kept driving trying to find where It had happened. We drive and drive and then almost to the town where Brad works.. there It was. Traffic of course was backed up and people were gathered everywhere talking. Brad’s Aunt drove the car up closer to the scene and tried to get us closer and closer. As we got out of the car, a helicopter came and landed right in front of us on the street.
Oh, no.. was it for him?!!!!?? I thought, “Oh, please, no” My heart was beating so fast and I was so scared for us.. for him.
Brad’s Aunt had her arm around me as we walked through the crowd of people asking, “WHERE IS HE?! WHERE IS BRAD?!” Brad’s Aunt was hysterically worried about WHERE he was! We looked around more and then I saw it.. his truck. That’s when I broke down and started crying. The front end of his truck was smashed almost completely to the windshield. Then I saw the other car.. there was almost nothing left AT all. All I saw were the seats and the steering wheel.
Oh, my.. no. We were still trying to find out WHERE he was! Finally, the lady that used to drive him to work before he got that truck came up to me (I was still crying) and said that he was okay and that he had already been taken to the hospital.
Brad’s Aunts (the one that drove me there) husband was parked on the other side of the scene coz he had left work to come to the scene so I went with him and he took me to the hospital.
I finally got to see my baby. He was still on the board from the ambulance with his head/neck put so he couldn’t move it. His right hand was completely bloody. He told me he was so scared and didn’t know what he was going to do. He told me to pray for the other lady.
She was the one that had to be airlifted. She was in very, very, very, very bad condition. Her car wasn’t originally nothing left until they had to cut her out of the car. Found out that her leg had been totally cut off and her body smashed and said part of her brain was showing.
Let’s rewind and tell it from Brad’s point of view. He had gotten paid at work and It was time to go home. He stopped by the bank to deposit some money and keep the rest in cash with him in the truck. He stopped by the gas station to fill up his tank completely since we were gonna be going all weekend because of our birthday plans. He leaves there and heads towards home. He leaves Red Bay (the town he works in) and just as he passes the line that ends Red Bay, there’s a curve.
He came around the curve, wasn’t paying attention. Was distracted by the radio and weekend plans on his mind. He winds up in the opposite lane (It’s a 2 lane highway) and there’s a car coming towards him so he tries to go onto the off-road gravel part and the lady that was in front of him made the same move he did. She went for the off-road gravel part as well and they hit head on.
When it happened, his air bag deployed. He was wearing his seat belt (I’m glad we’ve made that a habit) so he just went foward and wound up with burns/marks from the seat belt. His glasses went flying and the window shattered and cut his right hand pretty badly. When everything stopped, he got out of the truck and the lady that was behind him (the same one that told me he was ok – the one that used to take him to work) got out and asked if he was okay and Brad went to see about the other lady. She was unconcious but breathing, there was blood coming from her nose and her body looked smashed and her air bag did not deploy.
Brad had his cellphone so he called 911 and soon after, the ambulance arrived. Brad says he just remembers a lot of blood from his hand after he got out of the truck. I’m sure there’s blood all inside the truck and some got on his boots.
They didn’t think the woman would make it. Over half of Brad’s family came to the hospital. Their all so great about supporting everybody in their family. I tried calling Brad’s Stepmoms Aunt (the one we were supposed to meet to pick up the puppy @ 6PM) but she wasn’t there.. she had already left.
Overall, Brad was very, very, very, very, very lucky. He just wound up with major big bruises on the lower part of his belly, a sore nose, back, neck, knee and elbow. The cut-up top part of his right hand was pretty bad. He wound up with 3 bad cuts on it and got 2 stitches for each so he got 6 in all. His neck/chest and side have burns/marks from the seat belt but that’s about as far as his injuries go.
After x-rays and stitches, they said he could go home. His Stepmom and Dad took us to get his pain meds and then for something to eat @ McDonalds since we were STARVING. Headed back home and Brads Dad stayed and talked for a bit then Brad’s Aunt (the one that drove me to the scene) came in and said that the other lady in the wreck..
…had died.
She was a 5th cousin to Brad but he didn’t know her but still. Brad really cares about people and it really tore him up. He blames himself but everyone and I too have told him that things like this happen all the time and that of course It’s gonna be hard for him to not blame himself but he doesn’t need to.
The thing is.. the lady – her husband (or it might have been her ex, not sure) had died the weekend before and she was grieving over his death and wanted to be with him.
And she now is.
Yenno the rainbow I told you we saw? I look back on it now as a sign that God was saying that we were gonna get to stay together, that Brad would be alright.
After we got married, Brad took the garter off my leg and hung it on his rear view mirror. That’s where It stayed from then on. When this wreck happened, the rear view mirror was torn off. Well, Brad’s Uncle Chris knows some of Highway Patrol and got to get almost all of the belongings out of Brad’s truck. Chris got everything.. and the garter.
Little spots of blood on it but Brad and I see it as.. our love survived.
Brad or anybody else ever found his glasses. Bless his heart, he’s walking around and can’t half see. He has his contacts but he can only wear those for so long before he has to take them out. He should be able to get some new glasses soon though.
It was a hard lesson learned for Brad. He’s already said that this whole event has changed him and that he’s gonna live his life different and much more carefully.
I’m just so thankful it wasn’t the other way around but that poor woman. None of her family or anyone came to claim her body… that’s so terrible. She has kids too. I’m glad she’s with her husband now and I hope she’s at peace.
This whole thing has been such a tramatic event. Brad was so scared and paranoid Friday night so we went and stayed with his Dad and Stepmom. Saturday was Brad’s birthday and I can’t even tell you how glad I am that he got to live to celebrate his 19th birthday. I’m soooo very thankful. I love him with everything I am.
He was so proud of that truck. I’m so sad that he doesn’t have it anymore. We had finally gotten a good means of transportation so we didn’t have to rely on anyone else to take us anywhere and now it’s been taken away again but everything happens for a reason. We did have insurance on the car, thank goodness. Since the Highway Patrol knew some of Brad’s family, they didn’t give him a ticket or anything. You can replace a truck and a pair of glasses but there’d be no replacing Brad.
He had called his Stepmoms Aunt back Friday night and told her he was sooooo sorry we didn’t get to come meet her at Petsmart to get the puppy @ 6PM but he had-had a terrible accident. She asked If we were still interested and at the time, he said probably not. Well, we woke up Saturday and he asked me If I still wanted the puppy and I said yes. So he totally intended for me to still get my birthday present. So I went with his Stepmom to buy our groceries and then meet up with the Aunt to pay for and get our little baby Pomeranian and I got my birthday present…
We didn’t get to go out with his Grandparents to eat but later today Brad’s Dad and Stepmom are taking us to my Moms house and she’s gonna make us our birthday lunch and I’m gonna bring the baby Pomeranian to show her! I’ll post pics of him eventually. It’s just been a really, really, crazy weekend. The phone has rang atleast 20-30 times since he got out of the hospital Friday.
I just thought I’d share this life changing story to you guys. I don’t know what I would have done If he wouldn’t have made it. My whole world would be turned upside down and shattered completely and totally.
Brad and his Mom are really, really close. She lives in Nebraska with Brad’s 3 younger sisters and Stepdad. Brad didn’t want anyone to call her because she would just totally freak out so he wanted to wait until he got home to call her himself. He called her Friday night after we got back from getting food and she completely freaked out. I can only imagine having a child live that far away and then get injured and you couldn’t be there for them. She broke down so bad that she had to give the phone to Brad’s Stepdad. She’s alright now but we’re all so glad he’s okay.
*sigh* I’m so thankful to still have him here with me. If you read all of this, thank you. Just be thankful for your loved ones and just remember to live your lives day by day coz you never know when something could happen to change your lives forever.
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