Monday, February 5, 2018, will be a day no one in our family will ever forget. My daughter and I came up two miles short on our ride home after a long day helping her with her relocation efforts. She accepted a job out of state and asked for assistance moving her belongings out of her apartment. The window of time was limited. Despite my best planning efforts to avoid a heavy snow storm, the day took an unexpected twist while we were headed home. I thought the hard part of the day was over and I was wrong. Almost dead wrong.
Our oldest son helped us load up the Uhaul truck just as the storm hit in Iowa City and I was very careful on the twenty-five mile drive home to drop off our daughter's belongings. By the time we returned our rental vehicle, over six inches of snow had dropped. All I needed to do was drop our son off at his apartment and return home. Plans changed when our daughter sent me a text notifying me they cut her early at her job due to bad weather affecting business. She was eager to be picked up and stay with mom and dad for the evening. The road conditions deteriorated right before our eyes. Interstate 80 was shut down 30 miles west of us due to a major pile up. The northbound highway in Cedar Rapids closed due to an accident. My christian radio station was comforting me as I drove home for the final time and I managed to exit the interstate with just two miles to go to get home. Snow plows were working hard in the area and the roads appeared fine. Then the unexpected happened. My car must have hit an ice patch causing the vehicle to swerve over the center line and off the road. I was driving parallel to the road still swerving in a big pile of snow and ice. Our Honda started sliding back onto the road in front of oncoming traffic. A van was approaching at approximately 50 mph and I don't think he saw me coming from the side of the road. Our daughter appeared to be the target of a direct hit. I yanked hard right on the steering wheel and our Honda lined up perpendicular to the van. Bam! Windows shattered. I felt the side of my vehicle piercing my body. Our vehicle bounced off the van and careened all the way across the road in front of more traffic and finally halted. Our christian radio station was still playing. Our daughter noticed me gasping for air and said, "dad, please tell me you're gonna be okay."
I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I was pinned into my seat and I felt a gurgling in my left lung. The pain was excruciating. Our daughter jumped out and called 911. Emergency vehicles were on the scene immediately. When they asked me if I was okay, I motioned that I couldn't breathe. It was impossible to open the driver's door because it was crushed. They decided to unbuckle me and excavate me through the passenger door. Snow was still falling when they loaded me onto the ambulance for transport to University of Iowa Hospital. I'll share more about my hospital experience tomorrow. All I can say is I'm thankful to be alive and that my daughter walked away unscathed. Our beloved Honda is officially retired at just over 228,000 miles. The most memorable ride ever was the last one. Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story. I would like to thank all my friends and family for your prayers during this journey. Have a great day.
