Ali’s Accident

That is (or was) Ali’s car in the middle of the intersection. She was driving in the opposite direction when the accident happened.

Arriving, I was distracted by the flashing lights, the numerous people standing around, police officers everywhere. I couldn’t park nearby…I parked across a field. Running through the field, I tried to spot Ali. She was nowhere. Bill calmly shared she was taken to the hospital by ambulance. He was able to see her before in the ambulance, and said she was alert and talking. The tears were unstoppable. He said he would meet me at the hospital.

Gosh it was cold. I sprinted across the field, tears streaming down my face. I don’t even remember driving to the hospital, but I remember calling my brothers and best friend, Tina, letting them know Ali was in an accident.

A pastor met me at the E.R. entrance. My heart sank. He was quick to say Ali was conscious and doing okay. Ali’s friends, Taylor and Allison, along with Taylor’s mom, Lynnette, came to the E.R…they each saw Ali in her car at the scene with streams of blood on her face. They were scared too. The pastor prayed with us, which calmed me. He mentioned how pleasant Ali was, and what a nice young lady she seemed to be.  I asked him to please make sure Ali knew I was there, waiting to see her.

The doctor soon appeared, and shared with us Ali’s injuries and how she was. Time seemed to stand still. I hung on to every word. He commented how kind and upbeat Ali was, even in the condition she was in. They were taking her for a CT scan, and for x-rays.  As soon as they were done, we could see her. Bill and my brother Marty arrived. Within minutes, we were able to go back to her room.

I couldn’t get there fast enough. I just needed to see her. I cried when our eyes met. So did she. Her head was wrapped in white gauze, a neck brace was around her neck, and she was under a warming blanket. I had never been so glad to see her beautiful eyes. She tried to smile, and wanted me to take a picture to remember how she looked. (WARNING! If you don’t like the sight of blood, you may not want to see the picture below.)

The ambulance driver came in and shared with us how “chipper” Ali was, and asked us if she was like this every morning. (Smile.) It seemed everyone we came in contact with said how kind and pleasant Ali was! (What an amazing young lady she is…even through an accident, she remained positive and kind!)

The x-rays and CT scan came back normal…nothing broken, no internal damage.  Praise God!

The doctor showed us the cut in her forehead, and gosh, it looked deep. He said she would need stitches. Ali objected, but stitches weren’t an option. She was so brave. Bill was on one side of the bed holding her hand, and I was holding the other. As he began to put the stitches in, he realized how deep it was…almost to her bone. He put in many internal ones and thirteen on the outside.

My brother, Pat and sister-in-law, Stacie arrived as well. It blessed me, and I know it blessed Ali, to have friends and family there.

Blood work and all tests began to come back normal. Time had passed slowly as we waited. After a few instructions, and after they removed her i.v., we were able to go home.

This accident was a life-altering event for our family. God could have taken Ali home that day, but He chose to keep her here. I truly believe He has a very special calling on her life, and He is preparing her for something big. This Christmas, the best gift (besides eternity with Jesus) will be right in front of me…my beautiful family, and my precious girl.

More pictures of her accident…