On or about 9:05 p.m. an 18 wheeler crossed over the median of Interstate 35, in Oklahoma, and struck the passenger bus that my daughter and her softball team were traveling in on their way back from a scrimmage game, earlier in the day. Not only did this truck hit the passenger bus, but it hit them hard enough at a speed of 72mph that the bus flipped over and 'helicoptered' on it's side for several revolutions. My daughter was seated in the middle of the bus where the strongest force of the impact was felt.
The heartbreaking discovery was that four of the young girls, our daughter's friends, had been killed and we couldn't get to Bailey fast enough to simply reassure ourselves and her that she was going to be ok. As a parent, it's the most helpless feeling in the world to know your child is hurt, suffering, struggling to live and you can't get to them. Bailey was taken to a hospital in OKC via care flight and all we knew was that her injuries were life threatening. We would learn 24 hours later that the EMT's and Dr's treating her didn't think she would survive. GUT WRENCHING experience, folks. Our lives were forever changed in the split second that the truck driver became distracted.
This is Bailey, our precious 18 year old college sophomore.... about 8 hours after the accident and heavily medicated while in the trauma center of OU Medical Center. We really did not know the extent of her injuries at this point and we were hanging on to her through lots of tears and countless prayers. Even now, as I see this picture and think back on that night I am brought to tears.
I will never be able to say 'thank you' enough to the most caring and wonderfully skilled healthcare professionals that saved Bailey's life; we are truly blessed to have been cared for by these folks at OU Medical Center. If this tragic accident had to happen, God put his hand on Bailey and guided her to the right place, I will never doubt HIS guidance in all of this. There are far too many 'God moment's' in all of this experience that continue to bring me to my knees in awe of the power that is HIS.
2 comments:
My prayers are with you! It has been almost three years since I received a call similar to the one you received. My daughter had been in an accident and I was told, if I could be at the Heli-pad, at our local hospital, when the ambulance arrived I would be able to see her before she was air-lifted to the closet trauma center about 2 hours from where we live. When I arrived at the hospital Heli-Pad there was no chopper and no ambulance. I was met in the parking lot and told they Paramedics on scene and requested a scene landing and airlift in order to get her to the trauma center without delay. Facing a two hour drive with no answers was hard. Seeing her for the first time was traumatizing. I spent the next 24 hours at her side, touching her, and praying for her to take her next breath. The next 24 was spent praying for her to wake up and remember what happened or where she even was. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Almost three years later she still deals with memory issues and she still doesn't remember the accident. Her vehicle left the road, traveling into the median then going airborne, flipping 3-4 times before coming to land in oncoming traffic. Had the light at the intersection, before the accident not turned red, stopping the traffic the first vehicle to have topped the hill and hit her already mangled vehicle would have been a fully loaded 18 wheeler. Our Lord and Savior was definitely her co-pilot that day and he has carried her through. Today, almost three years later I still get a deep sick feeling when I think about that day. What I saw the first time I got to see her still causes me to shudder. It's something that stays with you. At the same time your faith is made stronger in watching the recovery and knowing that it could have been a whole lot worse. I pray your daughter has a full recovery and you all find peace ... take care of yourself as you also take care of her.
Thank you! We cherish the prayers of everyone and appreciate the love shown to us by so many strangers. We are only 6 weeks into this horrific tragedy, only the Lord knows what the coming weeks and years will hold, but I know without a doubt that he will continue to carry us through. ((HUGS)) from one trauma momma to another!
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