Why people shouldn't drink and drive....

My family loves me. They do a lot to look out for me and make my life easier especially in these last couple of months of pregnancy. I haven't driven myself anywhere in well over a month.  But owing to the change of c-section plans, I've been feeling down and so decided that I would use the "extra" week I'd been given for good things...like seeing friends again and visiting my favorite Japanese restaurant.  Since my hubby was going to be busy, I decided to drive myself.

I had a wonderful relaxing evening just chatting with some ladies I love about any old topic that came up. We laughed and honestly my spirits were lifted as I drove back home. It wasn't late or anything. It was about 9pm. But somebody out there had gotten an early start with her drinking. The officer later told my spouse that they saw pills in her vehicle as well and she may have been mixing her medicines with her alcohol.  Anyway, as I was driving down HWY 17, I came to the intersection at Yellow Bluff Rd. I saw a small SUV go right past the stop sign and cut across two lanes of traffic. She seemed to be headed for a crash into the trees and uncertain and surprised by what I was seeing right in front of me, I began to slow down. I dunno what happened at that point, but like a fish, she must have been attracted to the shine of my headlights because she turned and hit me head on. I was absolutely shaken. I remember wondering if there was something I missed seeing that would explain why she had done this. Even as my thoughts were racing and my hands were shaking, the woman backed up like she intended to continue with her drive. Not comprehending that she would have to go around my truck to get anywhere, she pulled forward again and hit me a second time, though this time was not very jarring. At this point, when her attempts at hitting the gas wouldn't make my truck go anywhere, she seemed to just give up. She broke out a cigarette and lit up, right there in the middle of the road. By this point I was, ehem, mildly hysterical. I wasn't sure what to do. I knew better than to leave the vehicle in case she decided to try driving again and I wasn't sure that moving my car out of the road would benefit the situation or not so I finally settled on calling 911. To hear that call replayed would probably be comical now. I knew I was on HWY 17 but at the time didn't know the name of the intersection to tell them where I was. I also wasn't explaining what happened very well. I just kept saying things like "this shouldn't have happened" and "her car is right in front of me!"  I think I may have mentioned that there was a traffic accident. At any rate, there were people on the scene to help. An out-of-town couple had been following her at a distance for several miles, watching her disregard lanes, flashing their lights and trying to get her to pull over. What they didn't know was that she was far too out of it to understand flashing lights as a signal. I mean, she couldn't even understand that my big red truck was an obstacle to be avoided.  There was also another vehicle with a man and a teenaged boy. The boy ran over and checked the intersection sign and the man took my cell phone told emergency dispatch what happened. The couple stayed with me, helping me to be calm and reminding me to turn on my emergency lights.  Since we were blocking the lane, cars were speeding around us but these brave people stayed right with me until the police and paramedics arrived.

By the time police arrived and they ascertained that 1) I was 38 weeks pregnant 2) The speed of the collision was in question 3) My ability to assess potential damage to myself was compromised and 4) My baby was precious cargo that should be evaluated, so they recommended that I go to the trauma unit at Shands to be evaluated. I asked them if I could wait on my husband. There was something so frightening about that big red vehicle with the flashing lights that they wanted me to climb inside. As a high risk pregnancy there is a love-hate-fear response to any new medical thing involving your baby. You have been through so many things, new tests that you have to ask questions about, new results that you aren't sure you want the answer to...and in my state, all I could think is "What sort of tests?" and "Will the tests hurt the baby?"  and then like a sword cuts through bone, I thought, "IS the baby Ok?" I didn't have any answers so I figured I'd better just go like they said. As I was speaking to them, my husband called and I told him what was happening and waddled slowly to the ambulance.  My belly was cramping like PMS, and I did have one contraction clinch up my side, but over all I was more dazed than anything.  They hooked me up to monitors and found that my heart was adding in a little something extra while it was beating. The man asked me if I'd had caffeine. I confessed to tea at dinner. He said that and the stress could be the cause.  Fortunately, on the way, the little extras dwindled down as I calmed down. The paramedic who rode with me was very comforting- I think he was a believer and he talked about how my baby was a gift from God and how all they wanted to do was make sure the wrapping and all was safe.

When I arrived, they did some tests, but none of them were strange or new or scary. I saw the familiar non-stress-test machine come out. Baby was quiet for a while after the accident but by the time I arrived at the hospital  she was visibly moving beneath my hospital gown.  This was a super great sign! A doctor from OB came down to do a sonogram and check the baby's heart. She also checked me for dilation/effacement. They continued to observe fetal movement and made sure that I was Ok too with some tests on me (but nothing scary!).  It was oddly quiet for a trauma unit. I was the only one there at the moment and things moved along quickly.  It was determined that from a trauma standpoint baby and I were clear. Labor may result in a situation like this, but it would be treated as labor brought on by anything else and I was told to contact my OB to let them know. I am only a little dilated and effaced so I am hoping that if I just chill, she can wait till Wed. when everybody is scheduled to be there to welcome and care for her.

My hubby and mom both arrived after I had been there not too long and just seeing their faces lifted my spirits. I did not know it at the time, but even as I was in the back of the ambulance people had begun to pray. Even as I was praying for Evangeline to move and be OK, people from the SB group on facebook had been alerted to pray. People at my mom and dad in law's church gathered to pray as well. I know that ambulance was surrounded by angels. As frightened as I was, I was being watched over by the Lord in ways I wouldn't understand till later.

A huge saving grace was the fact that the airbag did not deploy!!  That could have resulted in a trauma that would have required an emergency c-section. (At a hospital where her doctor's weren't!) Also, the fact that my vehicle was larger than hers and was very sturdy helped. When we first found out we were pregnant we considered selling the Tundra for a less expensive "family" car.  Now, I'm so glad we kept it.  It made all the difference in the collision... and hubby said Big Red is now  officially a member of the family and we will keep him till at least 500,000 miles!! So many things worked together that I can only say I lived a miracle last night. Head on collisions don't normally end so well for all the people involved.

So as I lay here today, I am extremely thankful.  And extra hopeful too.  Because now I remember that miracles do exist. And a world that has miracles is a much more hopeful and cheerful place than one where we must muddle by on our own. Events like last night really have  away of bringing that fact home.

The lady who hit me could have gone on to kill herself or somebody else. But she didn't. The precious cargo I carried safely all these months could have been broken, but she wasn't. I give God the glory for all of that!  And I hope that lady remembers next time she's having a bad day that alcohol isn't her only option to feel better. She had a miracle last night too and maybe next time instead of reaching for the bottle, she'll reach out to friends, or say a prayer to the God who spared her life.

Again, thank you to all who prayed. May you each be blessed today!