As Graham, Dustin, and I were headed for an epic day on the slopes of Copper Mountain, our plans were altered by an untimely car accident. (1) We were traveling in Graham’s ‘94 Chrysler LHS and had just passed the Dotsero exit on East bound I-70. We were traveling approximately 70-75 mph on the seemingly good roads. (2) We had just started rounding a gentle curve when the rear end of the car started to drift. (3) Before anyone could say anything, we were sliding at full speed across the lanes of the Interstate. (4) As we crossed the left lane and the front tires went off the road, we hit a reflector post and kept sliding. (5) Entering the median, we continued to spin but as our wheels hit the dirt we began to slow more rapidly. (6 & 7) When we had made approximately three-quarters of a revolution, the front, driver’s side tire caught and sent our car into a roll. (8) As we rolled onto the roof of the car, we finished our revolution and slid to a stop once again pointing East.
Once the car came to a stop on its roof, we were all hanging by our seatbelts. After I made sure that I could still move, I called out to see if Dustin and Graham were okay. Thankfully they confirmed that they felt okay aside from the shock we were all experiencing. At that point, I braced myself against the roof of the car, released the seatbelt, and flipped over to find a way out of the car. The rear passenger door seemed to be undamaged so I started checking to see whether it would open at which point it did. After I crawled out, Graham was able to unbuckle and crawl out as well. Dustin was in the most badly damaged area of the car which was the front passenger side. After Graham was free, Dustin finally had enough room to turn over and crawl out. By the time Dustin was on his way out of the car, I had dialed 911. I, of course, gave the details of the wreck and described our location to the best of my ability. Before I got off of the phone, the dispatcher instructed us to stay in the car. OOPS! =) If we had waited in the car we would have hung there for 25 minutes before the first EMS personnel arrived.
Once the emergency vehicles arrived, things were pretty standard. We just had to fill out the usual forms and answer the usual questions. Since we had been out of the vehicle for almost 30 minutes when the ambulance arrived, the paramedics didn’t even bother checking us out. We then had to wait for the tow truck driver to load the car. Once the car was loaded, we all piled into the cab of the truck so the driver could drop us off at a small café to wait for my parents to come pick us up.
Considering the fact that we were going over 70 mph when we started into the slide, it is truly miraculous that none of us were hurt beyond a couple scratches. There were so many things that could have happened ending any one, or all, of our lives. We truly do have an awesome God that provides for us in every moment of every day. Praise God that we can say with full sincerity, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose . . . For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Rom 8:28, 11:36).
Here are a few more pictures of what the car looked like:
