Jesus took the wheel..

I was in a bad car accident Sunday night. I always say I want to take my life experiences and use them to glorify God no matter what. So here is what happened to me, and the lessons learned about my Savior and King.

I left Epcot around 7:30 on Sunday night in rainy weather. The roads were wet and it was just typical Florida gross. I’ve been driving on these roads since I was 16, so I don’t think twice about it.

As I approached Winter Park on I4, my car took off on its own path. I was hydroplaning. I did what I knew to do in this situation but it didn’t make any difference. My car veered left, towards the interior barrier wall. I had both feet off the petals, and my hands on the wheel but not steering in any direction. It was going to wreck and I didn’t want to make it worse by over correcting. I spun around facing the wrong way, I saw the wall coming and thought “this is happening”.

I slammed into the wall and at this point my car was spinning back toward the wall. I wasn’t very aware of my situation at this point. I know I smelled something burning. Wasn’t sure what it was. I heard the bangs, and I felt it stop. I realized it was over and hit my hazards. I wanted my phone to call for help and struggled to figure out where it was. I managed to grab the aux cable and find it. A man was running toward my car and he stopped at my window asking if I was okay. I said ‘yes’ and he told me to get out. I was trying. My door was pryed shut. He told me his wife had called 911 and help was on the way. I was in shock. I was incredibly disoriented. I called my mom. Told her “I was in a bad accident on I4, I totaled my car, my airbag deployed.” At that point I noticed the deflated bag in front of me and said my thought outloud. It occured to me this must have been where the burning smell was coming from. I was still trying to figure out how to get out of the car. The man suggested my window. But my car was off and I couldn’t roll it down. I managed to find my key again and tried to star the car, the engine made an ugly noise but the electric came on. I rolled it down and turned the car back off. Half way through trying to climb out the window I finally realized I could unlock my doors and climb through the back. Brilliant (shock is hilarious in retrospect). I got out and told my mom where I was.

The man that stopped to help and I realized standing in the middle of I4 in the rain was incredibly dangerous. We ran to his car. Oh by the way, I’m barefoot. I was at Disney and got soaked so I had taken my shoes off to drive home. He had me sit in his car while he talked to the dispatcher. I met his wife and 3 daughters. They were all wearing Christmas sweaters. It was like a scene out of a movie. His wife talked to me for a minute and all of a sudden I felt this stingy burn on my left chest. I stopped midsentence to give out a yelp of pain. Looked down and saw my bright red skin. The airbag had burned my chest. The shock was wearing off and I was feeling the pain now.

An OPD officer arrived and took a statement from the gentleman that stopped, and allowed him to leave. Then he looked at my car, and let me sit in his patrol car with his jacket while we waited for a wrecker. I was in a complete panic in his car. I just kept seeing cars flying past and thinking ‘someone else is going to lose control and hit us..’. I was not happy on that road. I felt like I was sitting in a death trap. Finally the tow came and we got out of there. He drove me to a gas station where we met up with my parents. We took my things out of my car, and dealt with the insurance company. The officer told me he wouldnt be giving me a ticket. Thank God. What a blessing. I was probably about 10mph over the speed limit when I spun.

I was able to go home and take pain meds and get some rest.

The fact that I walked away from my car is a miracle in itself. The way the wreck happened was so crazy that I know God was in complete control. It felt out of control but it wasn’t. The funny thing is I wasn’t scared when it happened. I was totally calm. It was out of my hands and I just let it be. I obviously didn’t want to hit that wall but when I saw it happening I just went with it. I didn’t scream or freak out. I don’t think I even tensed up much. Thankfully because I would be in much worse pain if I had.

My faith took over in a way I’d never experienced. And God proved his faithfulness in that moment.

I could have spun to the right, and gone to the grass, this would have flipped my car, resulting in worse injuries.

I could have hit another vehicle.

If you live in central Florida you understand that I4 is never empty. It’s usually crowded. Sunday night was no exception. It was crowded. Except for right around me when this happened. No one was in the left lane to hit. No one was right behind me. When I bounced back in to traffic no one was there. The road cleared while I spun. That is a miracle. The odds of spinning across I4 and hitting NO ONE are ridiculously low. But that’s what happened. If I had left Disney a minute earlier or a minute later, I could be dead.

I could have spun in front of a semi, or in front of a sports car going 90+, things common on this road. But I spun in front of nothing. I only hit a wall.

I could have spun futher up the road or further back, where the wall is different, or in an area where there is no wall, only grass, meaning I roll into oncoming lanes.

But I didn’t.

I spun into a wall.

Nothing else.

Then theres the man who stopped.

I was very disoriented from the impact and airbag, so when my car came to a stop, calling 911 wasn’t actually on my mind. I wanted to tell my mom where I was. But this man saw me spin, and immediately stopped and ran to me. His wife dialed emergency workers and he helped keep me focused on getting out and to a safer area. If he hadn’t stopped I would have been in a much worse situation. It would’ve taken me longer to call for help, and I wouldn’t have been able to get out of my car.

I also find it amazing my feet aren’t cut up. I4 is dirty, and I was barefoot running through the inside shoulder in ankle deep water. I couldn’t see a broken bottle if I was looking for it. And of course I wasn’t, I was running to the SUV ahead of me for cover. Looking back I’m amazed my barefeet hit nothing sharp on that ground to make matters worse.

God protected me, in a way only He could. I know that with all my heat. I am so blessed to be sitting here writing this. I have been so put together and okay through this because I have my trust in Him. I broke down tonight in choir. I hadn’t really let the reality of what happened to me sink in. How close I came to dying. If one variable had changed, I could be in the hospital, or worse. I started crying when I really remembered this accident. It really happened to me. It feels surreal thinking about it, but I really wrecked, and I really survived.

Here is my life lessons, there’s a few:

Trust God to get you through it. I had no control over my car. None. There was nothing I could do to save my car from hitting the wall. I didn’t try to take control of the situation because I saw it was useless. God got me through. He took over and though I am sore, and cut and not feeling great, I am alive. So you can trust him with your life, if it feels out of control it really isn’t. God knows what is oing on and He knows what you are going through. Let go and trust Him to lead you.

Wear a seat belt! I would not be here today if I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. It cut my neck yes, but it saved my life, as did the airbag. The mark on my neck and the bruise and burn on my chest from the bag are my wounds of protection. Without those marks I would be a goner. So wear a seatbelt. There’s never a  good reason not to.

Be a hero. A lot of people saw me wreck. One stopped. He was an angel for me. His beautiful family stopped their evening to make sure I was okay. Step up when you are called upon. Not just if you see a car accident. If a friend or stranger has a need that you can fufill, do it! God gives us gifts and abilites and you have to use them. Don’t waste your life. This man just pulled over, made a phone call and stood with me in the rain. But he is a hero.

Value your loved ones. I could have just as easily died last night as walked away. The only reason I’m here is because God isn’t finished with me. I started crying today thinking about all the people in my life I would have never seen again if I was gone. I want to hug everyone of these people and just cherish them because I see how fragile our lives are. You never know what’s going to happen to you. Don’t take moments for granted. Don’t think “I’ll do it tomorrow.” because you may not get it. It’s cliche but guys it’s true. In a split second, your world can be flipped upside down. So live like every moment could be your last, or the last of anyone you meet.

Praise God. He alone is responsible for my life being spared. He alone kept me calm and safe. He deserves my praise for this. He deserves our praise every minute of everyday for letting you take that breath you just took. For giving us salvtion through Jesus. God is good, all the time, even when typing a blog is causing physical pain. God is good. He has a plan for this. I have NO clue what good God is going to bring out of this accident. BUT I do know that something good will be the fruit of this accident, God makes no mistakes.

Matthew 6:4

Romans 8:28

Jeremiah 29:11

Before she knew it she was spinning on a thin black sheet of glass… Jesus take the wheel, take it from my hands, cause I can’t do this on my own. I’m letting go, so give me one more chance to save me from this road I’m on. Jesus take the wheel.

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