Sideways Truck Trailers

I am writing this as we are heading back from New York from the funeral for Lee’s Dad. (I will probably post this tomorrow morning/afternoon.)

Lee and I left arrived in Syracuse at 3am Thursday morning, in time for the afternoon calling hours. The funeral was Friday. Overall, I don’t think it was really that tough of a funeral. We had already been through the hardest part: saying goodbye last Sunday, three hours before he would pass.

But the funeral none the less was emotionally draining. I was in no way shape or form ready for what was ready to come my way...

As I was driving with Pam, my sister-in-law, from the cemetery to the wake, a semi-truck coming toward us lost control of the rear of the truck. We were going down a two-lane country road, and the truck was going WAY too fast. The massive steel trailer started to slide toward us at 60 mph sideways, covering both lanes.

There was a small gravel shoulder on the country road. I somehow got the wits about me to gun it, and swerve on to the shoulder to avoid the mass of steel screaming toward us. To stay on the road would have been fatal. I braced as the rear end of the trailer came near us. I knew that if I could speed up, the trailer might miss the front door, but I fully expected the trailer to hit the rear of the car and send us spinning. I was able to regain control of my car after going off the road, and avoided the accident completely. I don’t know how we lived. Really I don’t. There is no way Pam and I should be alive right now.

The woman behind me would be the first thing the truck would hit. When we finally turned around the car, we saw a mangled mess of steel and our hearts sank. About one third of the car had been smashed in, and I remember my sister-in-law, Pam, saying what I was thinking… “oh please God, no more dead bodies today.”

This is what we saw. The driver's side of the car is gone.

We arrived to the car to find a miracle. The woman, although covered in blood, would live. I stayed with her and calmed her down while Pam called 911. Here I am, in my funeral clothing, standing in the rain, with my hands covered in blood after we just buried Lee’s dad. I remember thinking. “Wake up, Beth, wake up. This cannot be happening...”

We waited until the paramedics got there, and then I just stepped away while they prepared to cut her out of the vehicle and take her to the hospital. I fell to the ground and I just sobbed. It was just too much.

Here is the video of what we saw from the local news. The overall story is a good one: everyone survived the accident.

Laura managed the schedule to allow me to have the weekend off. Lee and I have decided that we are going to nothing tomorrow. And it will be wonderful. After all, it is football day! ;)

Drive safe everyone...!

Beth