My Accident

Yesterday, I was involved in a car accident.  Don’t worry, thanks to our loving Heavenly Father, no one was hurt, except my less than a year old Toyota minivan and my near perfect driving record.  The only other accident I had been involved in was my Freshman year of college back in 1988.

It was a typical busy Saturday full of cheer games, birthday parties, shopping for Halloween costumes, cleaning and our Ward’s trunk or treat activity.  We were on our way home from stopping by a friend’s house to get the rest of her costume as we were getting all dressed up for the Halloween activity at 5:30pm.

 

I was driving with Tara and her friend, Kami, in the back seats.  I heard Tara yell “Mom!” right as I saw a car speeding through the intersection right in front of me.  There was not a second to spare because I never saw it coming.  I rammed right into the brand new Honda Civic holding three teenage boys.  The 18 year old driver didn't even attempt to stop at the stop sign before entering the intersection where I was cruising along with no stop sign, clearly having the right of way.

The crushing sound of our vehicles colliding still rings in my ears.  I hit him right between the rear door and the back bummer on the passenger side.  I’m fairly certain I slammed on my brakes before impact but it all happened so quickly.  I can’t believe I never saw him coming, not even in the corner of my eye, only when it was straight dab in front of me, and too late.

The car with the young men weren't able to come to complete stop until going up on the curb and back onto the road about 200 feet ahead.  My van came to a complete stop upon collision yet I gradually drove it to the side of the curb moving out of the flow of traffic.  Which there was no other traffic so that was a blessing.

Luckily there was a husband and wife outside their home three houses down the street who witnessed the crash.  They came to my vehicle first.  I sat frozen in my seat.  I was in shock of what just happened.  All reasoning of what I should do next left me.  The girls behind me sat in silence; clearly they were in shock also.

I heard the lady standing at my window asking me “are you okay?” and then noticing the girls in the back seat, asked them if they were each okay?  We were all fine just shook up from the experience.  She then informed me she was calling the police for me.

The only thing I could think of was to call Boyd.  He would know what to do.  I really didn't have a clue what I should do; I was still frozen to my seat.  I knew I was less than a mile from our home and that if Boyd answered the phone he would come. 

Now the husband of the wife was at my door talking to me while his wife was on the phone.  I don’t remember what he was saying to me.  I don’t recall even telling them “thank you” for being there.  I just remember saying a couple times “why didn't my air bag go off?”  I was upset that it didn't go off to protect me during the impact.

I do remember my sweet daughter’s voice saying, “Mom, maybe you are lucky that it didn't go off.  You are so short it would have hurt you with its impact”.  I think she is right.  I believe someone, not something, was protecting all of us that day.

A second difference in the timing of the collision would have really changed the severity of the accident.  If the driver would have put on his brakes even one second before impact I would have directly hit the boy sitting in the back seat of the car. 

Boyd did know what to do when he arrived.  He talked to the young driver of the car to get his information, took pictures of both vehicles, picked up the broken car pieces in the intersection and stayed with me until the police officer arrived.  Boyd then had to leave the scene to take Dallin to pick up his car from getting his tires rotated before they closed at 5pm.  He provided the moral support when I needed it the most.

The driver of the car apologized several times.  He admitted full responsibility to me and to the officer for the accident.  He remembers his friend telling him “Hey, there is a stop sign”, yet he said “for some reason it didn’t register that I needed to stop NOW!”

The police officer was friendly and very informative through the process of paperwork we needed to fill out.  The back bumper of the brand new car still with it's temporary paper license plate was barely hanging on and the officer mentioned that it needed to be completely removed in order for him to drive away from the scene.  The officer put his gloves on and began the process of ripping the remaining pieces of the bumper off while we filled out our paperwork. 

The big outer bumper piece came off easily.  The metal beam underneath the bumper was giving him some trouble.  He struggled with it a bit before it finally gave way and it fell to the ground below.  Not without a painful price though.  I didn't notice the officer had cut his finger until I saw him in the back of his Trooper with a pile of cloth covered in blood trying to administer first aid himself.   I offered to help him, but he politely declined.  I understood why.

I don’t believe the young driver was sighted a ticket for his disobedience to the law by failing to stop.  The officer was very merciful and I believe it was due to the fact that the driver confessed, admitted his mistake and was willing to accept responsibility for the consequences of his actions. 

I feel it was a tremendous blessing that no one was injured during the collision.  I am very grateful for the wonderful couple that came running to my aid and called the police when I was frozen in fear and didn't know what to do.  I’m thankful for my husband who dropped everything to peacefully take control of the situation.  My heart is full of gratitude for the merciful police officer who suffered and sacrificed for all of us.  I am proud of the young man who confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness so he wouldn't have to face the judge for justice.

Today during sacrament meeting as thoughts of the accident were still surfacing in my mind, I was filled with gratitude and love for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  He came to my rescue when I was spiritually frozen from the consequences of my mistakes and disobedience to the laws and ordinances of His Gospel.  When I finally humbled myself and confessed my sins, I felt Christ’s perfect mercy, love and forgiveness. 

I also started thinking about an institute lesson a while ago.  We were in D & C 45.  Br. Hinckley explained the purpose of verse 3 in a wonderful way to us. It reads “Listen to him [Jesus Christ] who is the advocate [our mediator, “attorney”, the one who wants us to win on Judgment day] with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him [who wants you to be saved].”

There was commentary by Stephen Robinson in my D & C study book that helped me understand Jesus as my mediator on Judgment day.  “If we plead our own case to God at the Judgment Day, we will lose, and we will not be allowed into the celestial kingdom of God. There is only one advocate, or spokesman, who can plead our case successfully to the Father, and that is His Son, Jesus Christ. He has one invincible argument that cannot fail to convince the judge and win our acquittal. That argument is His own voluntary and infinite sacrifice, His incomprehensible agony, the shedding of His innocent blood, and His unjust death.  Jesus Christ defends us, not by citing the merits of our case, not by arguing our righteous deeds but by arguing His own merits, His own righteousness, His own perfection, and His own voluntary sacrifice. Nothing can withstand this grand, invincible argument. No other facts, logic, reasoning, or accusations overpower it. His argument cannot be resisted even by the demands of justice – for justice has been satisfied.  Jesus will accept our case and plead for us with His grand, invincible argument, however, only if we have become His through sincere repentance, if we have entered into his covenant in good faith, and if we have endured in it to the end of our lives.”

The Lord pleads our case on the basis of his merits; we are saved through his works, his mercy and grace.

And what does he require? “Wherefore, father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.”  (D&C 45:5)