A day that could have been skipped!

Mom's notes -

Yesterday was a day the Purdy family could have done without.  Yet as we have come to realize, everything happens for a reason.

As Gabe and I were getting ready in the morning I got a text message from the local news station informing me that the schools in town were on a 2 hour delay.  Gabriel would have no school.  At least he would get to show off his cool St. Patrick's day duds at Daycare!

As I was loading the car with kids in the car I realized just how bad the fog was.  I even posted "Isabella, Gabriel where did you go? Feet, I have no feet... hand where are you? Oh fog, you are so thick. It will be an interesting drive in." on my facebook account before heading out.

On the way to daycare I had such a hard time seeing I had a very difficult time judging where I was at and where the road to daycare was.  I had my turn signal on for almost a mile before my turn finally came up.
I dropped the kiddo's off and headed to work.

I do not know how fast I was going, the last I saw my speedometer it said 35.  All I know is as I approached the intersection I saw lights in the distance coming.  I kept going because I thought they had the stop (I could not and did not see the stop sign, I completely thought I was at a different point in my drive). I saw the lights getting closer and closer but kept thinking they were going to stop with the fog I had no idea they were as close as they were.  

I remember the realization that I was going to crash, hearing a loud crunch and the next thing I remember was my car landing.  The wind was completely knocked out of me.  It took me a good several seconds to get air into my lungs.  At that point I had a man standing at my window asking if I was alive.  I informed him that I was indeed alive.  He asked if i was able to open the door so that he could see what was going on inside the car so he could tell 911.  he informed me that someone was calling 911 as we were speaking.  I could not open the door or window on the drivers side.  At that point in time my horn started blaring.  He said not to move and he would be right back.  I watched him walk over to the group that had formed in the road.

Not being one to follow directions very well I looked for a way out of the car.  I could see that it was smoking and did not want to stay in it in case it started on fire.  I realized there was a large hole that I should be able to crawl though.  I got part way out of the car and realized that I was going to need a little help with the glass broken all over the place.  I looked at the group of people and asked them for help.  It took them several seconds to register that I was crawling out of the car.  Once I got out and looked back I realized why...

The thing I was crawling out of could no longer be classified as a car.  It was not a hunk of metal.

The vehicle that hit me was not just another vehicle.  It was a garbage truck.  (Yes, I was t-boned by a garbage truck).

The driver managed to stop his truck almost 100 yards down the road.  He came running back and saw my car and lost it.  The driver of the garbage truck was very young.  He was visibly shaking and shaken.  He kept saying he was speeding and if he hadn't been speeding he could have stopped. (He could not have stopped, it was meant to happen).  To say he was relieved to see me and learn that I was the only one in the car would be an major understatement. 

Speaking of understatements, to say that I do not follow directions well would be a complete understatement.  Right after I got out of my car I asked for a phone to call my husband.  People were not moving fast enough for my taste.  They kept telling me that they called 911 and that I should sit down.  The last thing I wanted to do at the time was sit down!  They were not moving fast enough for my taste so I started walking around picking up my belongings (they were ALL over the road due to the crash and the car flipping).  I spotted my phone in the middle of the road.  It was knocked awake in the crash.  Thank goodness I spend the extra $ on an otterbox phone protector.  The outside box was long gone but the phone was in prefect shape.  I went ahead and called Gabe.  I informed him that I had been in a major car accident, the car was totaled, I was fine, I would more than likely be taken into the ER and were the accident had taken place.  I also called my mother and gave her the same information.  After I was done with that I continued to pick up my items off the road as people continued to tell me to sit down.

The police and paramedics finally showed up.  The paramedics took over.  They made me stand still, put a brace on my neck and hooked me to the backboard while I was standing up.  They then put me in the ambulance.  I asked the paramedic to please call my hubby and reassure him that I was in fact doing okay (I had a feeling that if he saw the car he may not believe my earlier call).  The paramedic put in my IV and made sure my vitals were all good and then called Gabe.
 
The paramedic took a picture of my car for the doctors to see what I came out of under my own power.  He said that he has seen many accidents and this one's damage rates in the top 5.  There is no logical explanation how I was able to walk out of the car.  In fact, If you look at the above photo's you will see that the only section of car still identifiable is the drivers seat. 
Thank goodness my kiddo's were safe at daycare having a St. Patricks day party (this picture was taken of Gabriel several hours after the accident but only a couple miles from the accident)

At the hospital I started a battery of tests to make sure that I was really okay.  I just wanted a moment of peace.

X-rays came back clear, CT scans came back clear, I was on my out the door when blood work came back... So close yet so far...

My pancreas enzymes were elevated.  They see this in little kids if they get hit in the stomach but rarely with adults.   They would be keeping me over night.  At least I got to see my family!

Other than swelling and bruises I am okay.

My guardian angel deserves a break after this one!
 
I guess the Grand Haven tribune ran an article about my accident in the newspaper on Friday - 
Woman sustains minor injuries in collision with garbage truck 

08:00 PM

A Grand Haven woman suffered minor injuries when her car was hit by a garbage truck this morning.
Robinson Township Fire Chief Paul VanVelzen said Grand Haven resident Erin Purdy was driving a Jeep north on 120th Avenue and failed to stop at a stop sign at Lincoln Street at about 6:52 a.m.

“She did not stop for the stop sign and was broadsided by a garbage truck driving westbound,” VanVelzen said.

Purdy had just dropped off her children at a day care center, he said.

VanVelzen said Purdy only sustained minor injuries as a result of the crash and was taken to North Ottawa Community Hospital. She was under observation in the emergency department this morning.