The GCA: Crash Day and Day 3

This post could alternatively be called: Why you should ALWAYS wear seatbelts and have car seats installed properly in the car.

Day 2 of our trip started out good for Mom, Jonathan, Lily and I. The kids had just been given coloring books and were quite content. We were looking forward to making it to Vegas early that afternoon to get some sight seeing in.

We were only maybe an hour or 1 1/2 into the drive, when we came upon a construction zone where two lanes merged into one. Suffice it to say I was driving, and didn't want to be stuck behind a semi.
Yea- it was basically all my fault.

Well, the lanes merged a lot quicker than I thought. (Reflecting back, neither mom or I can remember seeing the advanced warning signs before the immediate ones that said get over, and neither of us have ever seen a lane merge that quick).There was some hitting of construction barrels (which I remember), over correcting to the other side and glancing off the semi (which I DON'T remember, but got off the accident report), some driving off the side of the road into the median down a slight hill (remember), and because of the hill- some rolling of the car (I remember feeling the car hit it's roof).

We landed upside down. I was so disoriented in the car itself, I couldn't figure out which way was the front or back for a bit. Mom's door/ window had a slight opening and I asked if she thought she could get out. Lily started wailing, but I couldn't hear Jonathan. Mom started crawling out. I tried to reach for J, and finally felt his leg, gave it a squeeze and he kicked back. I just wanted OUT of the car. Tried my door, it wouldn't do anything. The window was shattered, but still in place. I got the bright idea of kicking it out, so I could crawl out the window. So that's what I did. Amazing what adrenaline will let you do!

Was able to get Jonathan's door open. He and Lily were literally hanging in their car seats. Unbuckled him, got him down. By that time, Mom was almost out and there were construction workers who had run to help us. One of the construction workers got Lily out from Jonathan's side of the car. Everyone had us sit down. I thought I felt fine, until someone pointed out the blood streaming down my leg. Mom's head and neck hurt some. The kids seemed ok, but a little shocked. They kept saying, "Crash... crash car... ouchie."

Eventually the sheriff came, started his report. I was walking around the car getting purses out, despite everyone telling me to sit still. There were the construction workers, at least one semi driver, plus the driver of the original semi. A nurse stopped to see if we needed help. Then the ambulance came.

We were taken to an ER, with full precautions. Strapped to boards, with heads immovable, etc. I still figured I was fine except for my knee, but I had to do it anyway. Eventually got x-rays. Mine didn't show anything, so they let me get up (thinking in my head- SEE, told you!). Someone had been brought in to entertain the kids. I got my knee stitched up.

Mom got her x-rays. Doctor saw something on hers- a fracture in the vertebrae in her neck. This was a VERY small town, so they decided to send Mom to a bigger one for more testing that couldn't be done there. She did have control of all her extremities though, so they didn't think her nerves had been affected, but wanted to be sure. She was loaded back into the ambulance. I had to figure out how I was going to get myself and the kids to where she was going.

The nurse who was watching the kids was some sort of patient advocate, or hospital charge nurse, or something. I don't even remember her name, but she was an angel. (As were so many of the other people who had already helped us that day.) She had already kept the kids entertained and had fed them some lunch. But then, she also helped me figure out how I was going to get out of there! I kept asking if I could rent a car in town to drive us up to where mom was going- but remember SMALL town. Anyway, the nurse was able to find us a ride with a hospital employee who happened to live where we needed to get to- 100 miles away. That guy happened to be working that day- the one day of the week he worked at the hospital we were at. Then the nurse went all the way to the service station our car had been towed to and got most of our luggage out. She got car seats for the kids that the hospital kept on hand for just such occasions. (Once car seats are in a crash, they most be thrown away and can not be used again.) It took the afternoon, but she got the car seats, us and our luggage into the kind volunteer's car and on our way.

We made it to Provo, and the hospital tech guy brought us to a car rental place. Keep in mind, at this point I had no way of knowing what mom's status was- if she would be admitted, needed surgery, could leave immediately, etc. The plan was to get a car, so that we could get around (and let the poor guy get home to his family), then to go to the hospital where she had been taken and make plans from there. One thing that kept me going was remembering that I have a few e-mail/bloggy friends who live in Utah, somewhat near where we ended up. I KNEW that if I needed something and just couldn't do it on my own, I would be able to get a hold of them somehow and they WOULD be there to help. Angels without even knowing it.

Anyway, I eventually get me and the kids in a new rental car and to the new hospital, about dinner time. Just as we walk into Mom's room, she was ready to be discharged. Whew! HUGE relief there. We literally were all able to walk away from the crash. Seatbelts and car seats are a wonderful thing. So Mom wasn't completely in the clear as she did have to wear a neck brace, supposedly for three months. We ended the day by getting mom's pain meds, dinner, and finding a hotel to stay in that night (after calling about four). Because of mom's injury, I did all the hauling of luggage/ kids/ and the driving (although that was VERY cautious those first few days, and I am still way more than I used to be.)

Mom made the decision to continue on with our vacation. She was the one who was in the worst condition, so it was her call. Although we no longer had the car to deliver to Marc, there was still Disneyland. (Anyone remember that early '90's Dada song, "Now I'm going to Dizz Knee Land?" So appropriate.)

There was some more messy planning with the rental car (availability, size, expense, and switching it out) that happened the next morning. Plus, then we had to stop at the service station where the car had been towed to recover what else we could. That is when I took the pictures I've included below. We were able to find almost everything by digging through the wreck. (Just little insignificant items went missing). Everything we did recover still worked too. That was a pleasant discovery.

So eventually we made it down to Vegas. Got the car situation resolved at the airport there and finally made it to our castle for the evening. The rest of our vacation was actually somewhat normal, except that I drove everywhere, mom had her neck brace on, we had to stay in handicap accessible rooms for the movable shower head, and mom was on pain pills and had to sleep sitting up. Other than all that, it was a good time. The wonderful thing about Disney is that it is EVERYONE's job to make your stay as comfortable as possible, be as helpful as can be, and to "make magic" happen. To basically help you escape from reality and live in a fantasy world for a bit. It was nice to be able to do that before facing insurance stuff and tickets, etc.

There is my novel- thanks for reading whatever you did of it. I won't be quite as wordy about the rest of our trip, since it was JUST vacation and not anything dramatic. Now here is the shock value of the pictures to end this post.