I Dodged A Bullet Again!

 

Well, as you can see, the current Bottsmobile is out of commission. Jan and I as well as our friends and guests Bob and Judy Clark were on our way to a memorial service for our fellow Game Creeker and friend Rocky Hughes yesterday in Wasilla when we had an unexpected situation happen. 

When word got out that Rocky had passed away, Bob contacted me and asked if we could pick them up at the airport in Anchorage on Saturday morning and if they could possibly spend the night with us. We said yes to both requests. At one point Bob had mentioned that if it wasn't convenient they might be able to find other lodging or an alternate way to get from the airport to Wasilla. I would imagine he might wish he had opted for door number two.

As it is, we had a delightful time renewing our friendship and talking about a multitude of subjects. We visited Autumn at her house before we came home and even dropped off at the Eklutna Tailrace to see the beautiful glacier water that flows there and check on the fishermen there to see if anyone was catching anything. Saturday evening our good friends and neighbors, Butch and Patty came over to visit. I think everyone had a good time as they shared stories, and Bob enlightened me as to how he came to be in Alaska and get involved in The Move. He's lived an interesting life, even before he ever showed up at the farm.

Yesterday( Sunday) we had a leisurely breakfast and around 1:00PM left to go to the memorial service. The service was to be held at 2:00 and we wanted to be there early because we were sure there were going to be a lot of people there. I wanted to insure we got a parking spot and frankly, I wanted to try and secure a seat on the end of an aisle, since I was sure that I'd have to get up at least once to pee and didn't want to suffer the humiliation of asking people to excuse me while I squeezed by them, possibly passing gas in the process. 

We were tooling down Church Street doing the speed limit when we approached the flashing yellow caution light at the intersection of Spruce and Church. Out of the blue, a car flew through the intersection, not bothering to stop at the stop light. We came into contact with each other and the result of the collision is evident in the pictures above. 

It all happened so fast there was no time to even react. Neither car applied brakes, so there was a lot of momentum when we met. We were turned around in the opposing lane, the airbags blew, as they were designed to do, and with a screech of metal we came to a stop. At first I thought the car was on fire because there was what I thought was smoke in the cabin, but it was just the propellant from the air bags. Of course there were no airbags in the back seats where Bob and Judy were sitting. We sat in silence for a few seconds and then Bob opened the back passenger door and stumbled out  and sat down in the gravel and dirt on the side of the road grasping his chest. I didn't know if he was having a heart attack or if he had hurt his chest. He was dazed and kept asking about his wife, if she was OK. Judy was dazed, but she didn't appear to be hurt. Both and Jan and her stayed in the car, and I recall a stranger coming over to the driver's side door and reaching in and praying with Jan. We were so grateful for that act of kindness. A lady in a cab who was behind us told me she had called 911 and within five minutes or so, there were three of four ambulances, at least one fire truck and two local cop cars. We were grateful for the quick response. The EMT's checked us all out on the spot and determined we should all go to the emergency room for a check up.

As it was, Jan is suffering with whiplash and her body hurts, in particular where the seat belt crossed her chest. Initially they thought I had a cracked rib, but a CAT scan revealed the ribs were just bruised or possibly separated a bit. Nonetheless, it hurts like crazy and I was given a plastic doodad to breath in to and try to keep the void in my lungs from filling with pneumonia. I sure am having fun. Judy initially was thought to be having a bleed on her brain, but they ruled that out, though she has a considerable lump on her head, and I'm sure she's terribly sore from seat belts and the shoulder harness. Unfortunately, Bob suffered the worst of the injuries. He's got a cracked sternum and there is a chance he has a laceration to one of his kidneys. It was determined that he would get better care in Anchorage, so he was transferred to the regional hospital there. As of this writing, I'm certain he's still in a tremendous amount of pain, but there is a chance he will be released tomorrow if he can eat and get up and walk around. I hope he can be. Hospitals aren't fun places to be.

Throughout yesterday and today, we've heard from a number of friends and family members and it's been encouraging to see the level of care so many have for us. It's been a bit overwhelming, but nice. Butch (my neighbor) came over and mowed my lawn for me and Patty brought us cookies. Our pastors are bringing dinner tonight. If only I'd known that a car accident was all it took to get so much attention, I might have tried it sooner.

I don't suppose there is a lot more to say about the accident. I've been dealing with the police, the insurance company, and  the company that towed the car, and it's been stressful. I don't know what's going to happen. The car is a total loss, but of course I'm sure I'll only be compensated the minimum amount that the other guy's insurance will pay, so through no fault of my own, I'll have to pay for another car. Lovely. We'll see where it goes. In the meantime, I want to thank all of you who called or texted us with your love and concern. We truly appreciate it. We would covet your prayers, especially for Bob, that he will recover fully soon and they can return to the comfort of their home.