On October 4th, a pretty powerful rain storm rolled through York County on my way home. I was driving south on Interstate 83, a drive that I’ve made hundreds of times. It had been a long day as I had traveled to downtown Harrisburg after work to film some video around the city for a project that I was working on. So, I joined the wave of commuters heading back home.
I usually don’t like driving in the rain, even when the sun is shining and rainbows abound. This day, it felt different. This day’s rain was a powerful, soaking, sheeting rain that I hadn’t seen in a long time.
I had recently been praying to God, after my daughter Ellie was born, for a new perspective on life; as a new parent, as a husband, and as a follower of Jesus. I just didn’t think that these two things would collide with my car and I on that October afternoon.
I hydroplaned less than a mile from my exit off the Interstate.
Travelling in the right lane, I slid toward the left lane, tried to correct the slide and went off the road onto the shoulder and ended up rolling my blue Fiat 500 onto its passenger side.
In what seemed like two seconds, four strangers who were driving behind me stopped and helped pull me out of the car. Fiats are small cars with big heavy doors. It took quite an effort to get it open and to get me out. I was wearing my seat belt, so I was pinned into my driver’s seat, hanging in midair and yelling uncontrollably for the first time that I can remember.
Once I was out of the car I was examined by the EMT crew that came to the scene. I looked to be in worse shape than I actually was; covered in dust, glass, and some superficial blood, but I was up and about, albeit shaken, glad to be able to walk away! I rather bluntly said, “I just totaled my car.”I wasn’t able to call Meghan as my phone was lost somewhere in the wreckage, so the tow truck driver who came to the scene took me home.
When I arrived home, I told Meghan the whole story, and when I saw Ellie, I just wept and wept, thinking about what could have been.
I am still here, armed with a new perspective on life. In retrospect, I’ve told God that from now on I’d like a little more subtlety in answering prayers! I am so thankful for each and every day, but I never would’ve guessed that this is what I needed for that to happen.
