My husband, daughter and I had been visiting his family in Ohio and since cars were cheaper there than in California, we started looking. We found a silver 1989 Pontiac Grand Am that was in our price range. We used our income tax rebate as a down payment and the baby was ours. Since Wade (my husband) had to get back on base in California (he was in the Marine Corps), it was decided that he would fly and Erikka (my daughter) and I would make the drive. That worked for me as it allowed me to make stops in
Missouri, Oklahoma and New Mexico to visit friends and family that I had not seen in awhile.
On the morning of March 23, 1993, I left my last stop in Alamogordo, New Mexico. We left shortly after the sun came up, as I was eager to get home. The trip had already taken longer than I had anticipated. Being pregnant and traveling with a toddler made for a lot of extra stops. The sky still filled with various shades of pink, orange and red from the sunrise foretold a perfect spring day.
Arizona turned out to be a different story. There the sky was filled with dark looming clouds that totally hid the sun and cast an eerie gloom on the surroundings. The sky seemed to get darker and darker the farther I drove. Soon the sky began to rumble with the loud boom of thunder. Bolts of blinding bright lightening shot across the sky, crackling and illuminating the whole area. The wind picked up and started blowing with the ferociousness of a hurricane. Before I knew it, the sky opened up and a torrential downpour started making visibility poor.
I debated on whether or not to stop and find somewhere to wait out the storm, but decided to continue. I crept onward, my knuckles turning white from the death grip I had on the steering wheel. I drove that way for two long hours: two hours of listening to the rain pounding on the roof and the incessant swishing of the wiper blades, two hours of trying to keep the wind from blowing me off the road.
Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, the rain slowed to a light drizzle and the sun started to try and peek out from its hiding place behind the clouds. I relaxed and picked up speed to try and make up for lost time. At this point, I had four hundred miles left and wanted to be home for dinner. I turned up the radio and started singing along when out of nowhere the car suddenly went into a skid.
I started to panic and slammed on the brakes. The next thing I knew, the car went into a barrel roll, flipping again and again, so many times that I lost count and feared it would never stop. I felt as if I were stuck in a nightmare, desperately wanting to wake up, but unable to. I screamed and threw my hands up to protect my face from the exploding shards of glass that were pelting me.
When the car finally came to a stop, I was amazed to find myself still alive. I looked over to check on Erikka and my heart stopped. She was not there!! "Where was my baby?" In the few seconds it took me to take off my seat belt, my mind tortured me with images of her trapped under the car, decapitated, or lying dead in the desert. I paused before opening the door, scared of what I would find.
The maternal instinct took over and I got out and started to look for her. I found her less than six feet from the highway. She was on her hands and knees, trying to push herself up. Her little face covered in blood, and I will never forget the look she had on her face. Her eyes seemed to say, "Why Mommy, why?"
I scooped her up and started screaming, "My baby, My baby!"
Then I turned and saw the mangled mess of the car. The passenger side of the roof was totally caved in. The windshield was shattered and the wiper blades were stuck in the upright position. There was steam pouring out of the engine, one head light was still glowing and I could hear the "ding, ding" from the door being opened.
I thought, "Oh my God, Wade is going to kill me!"
It was at that moment that I remembered that I was pregnant and I became overwhelmed with guilt. How could I have forgotten that I was pregnant? Even though he wasn't born yet, I loved him just as much as I did my daughter.
A couple in a Ford Bronco stopped to help. The lady approached me and asked, "Are you all right?"
"I think that I am, but my baby, my poor baby is bleeding really bad".
"You are bleeding too", she said.
I looked down and realized that she was right. There was blood gushing from my arm. I was unsure if the rest of the blood on me was from my daughter or myself. Despite my reluctance, she insisted that I wait in her Bronco for help to arrive.
It seemed like an eternity before the ambulance arrived. They evaluated us and decided to call in life flight to transport us to a hospital forty-eight miles away in Phoenix. While we were waiting a policeman brought me my purse and Erikka's first stuffed teddy bear (now named Boo Boo).
After another wait that lasted another eternity the helicopter arrived. We were strapped onto gurneys and placed inside. The ride to the hospital was a turbulent one. With each bump, I thought, "It will be just my luck to survive a car crash, just to die from a helicopter crash on the way to the hospital".
Either we were extremely lucky, or there was someone watching over us. They kept us in the hospital for observation, which was good since we had nowhere else to go. I needed four stitches in my forearm and Erikka needed three above her eyebrow and two on a finger. My unborn child was unharmed. Had I not been wearing my seat belt, I would not be alive today. On the same note, if Erikka�s car seat had not malfunctioned and ejected her from the car, she would not be alive today.
That day I was in a hurry to get home and due to my haste, I almost made it not only the last day of my life, but also that of my child's. No matter what, people need to remember that they can and will be forgiven for being late, but their deaths would be inexcusable. Life is much too fragile to ever be taken for granted.
