When Reality Hits...Truck Meets Concrete!

After 12 years of marriage and five kids with just one vehicle, we were graciously given a Ford Explorer by my mother-in-law in the fall of 2007.  She was getting a new vehicle, so instead of trading in the Explorer to get her new vehicle, she blessed us with the Explorer.

The Explorer has been my hubby's vehicle for his trips back and forth to work and for those times when we have needed to be in two different places at the same time.   The Explorer only can seat four people out of the seven family members, and it wasn't a 4x4 for using in the Midwest winters, but it still worked for when we needed it most. 

Well this past Saturday, hubby took it to go to an appointment along with going to Menards to pick up more supplies for our basement playroom "face-lift" project.   He left while the weather wasn't the greatest!  We were under a "Winter Storm Warning"!(for those of my readers who don't know much about "winter storm warning"--it actually is NOT the type of weather to be driving in unless absolutely necessary!!  There usually is LOTS of snow and the snow is usually coming down so fast that road crews can't keep up with the roads, hence slick roads aka "slip n' slide roads"!  But here in West Michigan, that warning usually doesn't stop people, including hubby and me, from going out on the roads even if they don't need to be there!)

Anyway, he called me to let me know that he had completed all of his errands and was heading home.(awww isn't that sweet!?) We hung up and I continued getting lunch prepared....I flipped one grilled cheese sandwich on my griddle and my phone rang again with his "tune".  I picked up the phone half heartedly thinking "what now?!", but said "hello!". His response was....
"Honey, I have been in an accident! I am okay!  I am on the highway in the hammer lane and I need to get to the shoulder of the road."  We hung up and I started shaking!  I do NOT handle this kind of stress very well!  Praise God he is okay!!
He calls again telling me that he is sitting on the side of the highway. The Explorer is not driveable to home because it is leaking fluids and he has 3 out of 4 lights smashed!  So I need to come and get him!  REMEMBER...it is snowing like crazy!!!! There are parts of area highways CLOSED because of accidents and he wants me to come and get him! OH and don't forget too I am still shaking from the news!!

I told him I would be there shortly!  I hung up and took a few deep breaths!  I prayed for calmness while driving and told my 12 1/2 year old son I was leaving him in charge for about a half hour to go get daddy from the side of the road.  I grabbed the camera, my purse along with bundling up and got in our van and headed for accident scene. 
I found him with no problems and hugged him right there on the highway!!  The police was already there and was in the process of writing him a ticket for "not driving with care".   Hubby was just merging on to the highway and the truck lost traction in the snow! 

Hubby called the court today to contest the charges. So for now he is waiting for his summons for the hearing and he doesn't have to pay the ticket.  The truck is only worth around $3,000 but the repairs are going be close to $5,550 so the insurance company is claiming it a "total loss".

So long life with two vehicles!!!  Back to the life, I led for 12 years of taking hubby to work a couple of days a week so that I could have the vehicle to take kids to appointments or to the library, or even to do grocery shopping at less busy time of the day.

Life will go back to two vehicles but first we will pay off our debt that we have been working on diligently!  Oh what a weekend!

For those interested....Hubby's version of the action on the highway...

Was merging on the highway, a car coming up on me fast so I gave more gas to get moving.  Rear end got loose the left, then to the right, shot me across 3 lanes of highway and into the median wall on passenger front corner, spun around hit passenger’s rear corner then spun the rest of the way around to be facing the direction I should be driving in the fast lane.

When I came to a stop I noticed my foot was wedged between the gas and the brake.  Waited for traffic to clear then nursed it to the shoulder.