Crash and Burn

January 14, 2009

Blowing clouds of snow flurried around the van in front of the university Taurus I was driving and the other Taurus behind me as we headed down Highway 30 on our way to Chicago at 9am. The roads were a bit slick, and our professor had almost decided against the field trip we’d planned for this week to go to Chicago and visit Moody Press, Tyndale House, and Christianity Today and find out about jobs in publishing. But after considering weather reports, he decided we’d make a go of it anyway.

“The important thing isn’t fast, but safe,” he stressed before we left this morning. We all agreed and piled into the vehicles. As we headed out of Fort Wayne, it was a little slippery, but it didn’t seem bad enough to turn back.

I did think that the van’s driver was pushing us a bit fast, but in the interest of staying together as a caravan, I kept up with him, and the car behind ours did as well. There were a couple of scary moments… Mr. Van Driver was making quick lane changes and couldn’t see the semis he was passing until he was quite too close to them, which affected us, too, behind him. I was a little tense, but not doing too badly.

And then it happened.

The back end of a semi trailer appeared suddenly in front of the van. “Eep!” I thought. “Go around!”

The van tried. Oh yes, it tried… it braked to slow down and tried to switch lanes to go around the semi, which didn’t appear to be moving at all, but it lost control and started a slide that sent the driver’s side corner smashing into the rear of the trailer. At that moment, the three seconds or so I was behind them, I knew that there was going to be no avoiding a collision. I wish I could say that I was immediately thinking about how best to hit or the science of the thing, but the truth is that I hit the brakes to try to slow SOMETHING down before it started, and sort of tried to steer for the snow bank, but as a result just lost control of the car as well. And by then, we’d slammed on my side into the passenger front of the van and gone careening into a snow bank.

I remember dimly thinking that the crash hadn’t jolted… quite as much as I’d thought it might… and second thought was: “Guess we’re not going to Chicago.” Yeah. I know. Brilliance all over. I was out of it in shock for just a moment, and the next thing I knew I heard one of the other people in my car say, “The van’s smoking!” and then a chorus of “Is everybody okay?”s… And then they were popping the doors open and trying to get out.

“Do you see my glasses?” Tim, on my passenger side, wanted to know.

“Do you see my cell phone?” I pleaded back. Something about those late-night fire drills in Bethany and Oakwood reminded me that even if you think somebody else has already called 911, you should STILL call for help. And at the moment, I was very much in favor of getting help.

Ahem. The glasses and phone were together on the floor.

Molly, Devin, and Andy were already out. I wasn’t sure my door would open because we were in a snowbank. And not thinking about the possibility of airbags going off (they hadn’t yet) or catching fire… I just sat there, collecting myself and calling 911.

Finally, assured that emergency vehicles were on their way, Tim and I got around to getting out, and caught sight of flames leaping from the engine of the van. I found myself thinking that surely it’d be okay, and I’d get my bag of stuff out of the back of the van. Right now our group was congregating on the corner, where another driver of an SUV was waiting- she had evidently hit another semi at the SAME corner just before we’d had our accident.

At the corner, we discovered that all 3 campus vehicles were definitely totaled. The car behind me had escaped the van-semi-us madness only to skate through and clip another truck as well as T-bone another car. But miraculously, as of yet everyone had walked away. In the van there were some hurting necks as well as bloody noses, and Professor MacGregor’s ribs were hurting badly.

The van was engulfed in flames… black smoke billowed up to the sky in voluminous clouds. It wasn’t long before only a flaming skeleton remained.

The group started moving inside the nearby gas station (God-provided, I’m absolutely positive). The drivers of the vehicles (myself, Jared, and Jeff Pepple as well as the other vehicles we’d hit) stayed outside to talk to the police.

As we stood there freezing, I realized that the only things I was feeling were a bit of tension in a couple muscles… really, truly a blessing.

Tim, nice guy that he is, stuck around outside as well… and gotta say, friend Tim, if ya read this, I appreciate how thoughtful and kind you were earlier in helping me just take care of stuff. You’re awesome, and made stuff a lot better, at least for me. Bless you!

Business taken care of, finally we headed inside to figure stuff out and see how people were doing. Seven of us ended up taken to the hospital… Amanda, Lauren, Alyssa, Heather, Dr. Chip, Jeff Pepple, and Sarah. Four others went later to get checked out. A couple possible concussions, and a lot of whiplash and bruising. Dr. Chip may have liver damage and broken ribs. Not cool, not at all... though considering what it had been, it’s not bad, either.

Before Dr. Chip left for the hospital, he told me to call everyone we’d been supposed to meet with in Chicago to cancel. Sooo, that was my task while we waited, which honestly I desperately needed. I was running on emergency mode, and truly needed something to do. I spent the majority of the two hours we waited at the gas station on the phone.

Finally, the amazing staff from First Missionary church came and rescued us and drove us- very slowly- back to campus.

We’ve debriefed, started taking stock of the items that were lost in the fire (for me, a whole duffle bag full of stuff, though… thankfully, mostly replaceable), taken inventory of injuries… and started taking ibuprofen. Still praying for everybody who’s waiting on tests at the hospital since we haven’t heard a lot from them yet.

Way to wipe out the whole Taylor fleet at one pass! I think we may have one van left… think that might be all, though.

So, all this to say… so glad we’re all safe. What a day… hot chocolate and cuddly blankets muchly needed. Thanks to everybody who was praying this morning—we needed that, too.

God is good!

I think that’s all for now…
Sleep will be soooooo good tonight!