Yesterday started out on an amazing high. My 16 year old son and his teammates ran for the State 2A Cross Country Championship and won. The first State Championship for their small Christian School. The parents and school administrators were there to support and cheer them on. It was an exciting time. Afterwards they had the awards ceremony and we were all very proud. They wanted to go eat afterwards at Freddie's (a hamburger place) nearby.
Being a normal father I was wanting to head home after a long day outside of OKC to watch the OU football game I had recording! But, decided it would still be there when I got home. All of the families and friends and students met at Freddie's they were overwhelmed and it took a bit to get everyone there orders. When we decided to leave, one of the people ridding with us needed to hop out and throw something away, it took a min, then my wife decided she should go to the bathroom before we left.
Finally, we left. 10 minutes into our drive we were on the highway four lanes wide traffic 80mph bumper to bumper. My 16 year old son, my wife, one of the other students mom and myself riding home in my vehicle. The bus with all the students about a half mile behind us. My son sitting upfront beside me while I'm driving.
My son says whoa, whoa. I look further ahead and see about 300ft ahead of us a white Dodge Dakota on the right side of the highway his back tire drop off the concrete highway onto the gravel. He started to lose control and counter steer. In doing this he loses control and comes back across four lanes of traffic at 80mph. Luckily the other cars take evasive maneuvers and avoid him. His truck is in a fishtail slide at this point and all I can think in hind site is his cruise control must have been on.
In an effort to regain control as he's coming out of control across the highway he counter steers again. This is all playing out in seconds in front of us. He comes back across the four lanes back to where he originally lost control and now launches down an 80ft embankment to a concrete gully at a high rate of speed. When he hits the embankment his truck launches into the air and spins on it side 5-6 times, slams off the ground and goes airborne again spinning 3-4 more times. All of this happening within 10 seconds in what seemed like slow motion. Myself and a car in front of me both pull over immediately and run down the embankment.
All of the glass is broken output of the roof is crushed in, stuff is thrown everywhere. The engine is smoking. The truck has just come to a stop seconds before. The other person and I are trying to talk to the passenger looked to be a man in his 50's, slumped over and unresponsive with blood coming out of his mouth leading me to believe he was likely bleeding internally. We kept trying get a response from him, we could hear him breathing although not well.
I reached into his truck to make sure the keys were turned off due to the engine smoking. They were gone. I would later find them about 10ft away they'd been thrown everywhere along with everything else in his truck.
Our cross country coach driving the bus with all of the students had stopped the bus and brought a med kit and supplies from the bus down in case it was needed. We knew in his state we couldn't attempt to move him. My wife and many others had already called 911 within 5 minutes 30 cars had stopped and many had come dow to see if they could help. Eventually the fire station and EMT arrived with the jaws of life and we eventually left.
Prior to others arriving it seemed in hind site like time was going in slow motion while it was just the other man and myself standing helplessly beside the vehicle watching this unresponsive man.
This was less than 24hrs ago as of this writing. I think my adrenaline had surged to deal with the situation even though ultimately I did nothing. Three days ago I celebrated my dad's 40th heavenly birthday. I wasn't onsite when he died in a car wreck just before I turned 13, but I was later told it was likely a similar situation he was blindsided from someone crossing the highway he was driving home on.
I woke up this morning early a little teary and even a little teary as I write this. It's probably helping me process, but it reminded me how precious life is. Truth be told it's likely he didn't make it, he was in bad shape. I can't help but think everyone who knew/knows him how their lives would be affected. For sure he has a mom and dad whose lives would be devastated. Likely siblings, likely kids, likely friends who he hung out with and the list goes on. Their lives will forever have a hole in them.
I ask myself if he would have been conscience would I have witnessed to him or has someone already done that and if so what was his decision? Each day we go throughout our days most of us in our own little world speaking of myself a little preoccupied to listen to that still small voice I refer to as the Holy Spirit on the inside.
The leading we get when were standing in line and get prompted to tell the person we had a moment of small talk with or a mutual glimpse of eye contact or let go in front of us and that voice inside of us prompts us to say something encouraging maybe hey I know this may sound weird, but I feel like Im suppose to remind you God loves you, or he hasn't forgotten you or he loves you or he still has a plan for your life.
Not preach John 3:16 and then proceed through the Romans road. Just a seed. I think we overlook what those seeds can produce in a persons life. We may never see them again and in most places don't. BUT, that may be the thing that sparks an answer to a prayer they have been praying asking God do you still see me? and your small seed answers that question.
If they've strayed from their walk with Christ maybe it points them back. If they've never started a relationship with God maybe it helps them begin a walk towards God and after enough seeds are sown maybe their life is forever changed along with many people around them for generations, because we were open to that still small voice and comfortable with not knowing how what God is able to do with that seed in their life and the ripple affect it could have in others lives.
Maybe yours was the seed that came after other faithfully planted seeds that takes root and starts to grow or maybe yours is the first seed and God has another faithful beliver up next to water the seed you planted. Just that act of obedience can ripple and affect so many peoples lives we can't imagine.
I wonder...had someone done this in his life, the unresponsive person in the truck. I won't know how things turned out. I pray he survived even though things looked dim. If not, I pray someone was able to speak into his life and share God's love with him.