Have you ever come across a terrible car accident while traveling somewhere and it looked as if no one would have survived the crash? Well, on January 22, 2016, this is the type of accident I was involved in with my younger brother. Before I go into detail, let me give you some background on this day. On this particular Friday, I had woken up with a flat tire and had to go get it fixed. My brother and I went to school, like any normal day, but today was different. We were to be leaving early to head to Arkansas for my grandfather’s visitation on Friday and his funeral on Saturday. I left college, picked up my brother from high school, and headed to our family.
My brother and I have this unique bond. He is my best friend, even though we're are older now, and we still act like brother and sister. I had to tell him to put his seatbelt on about five times before we left the parking lot of his school. Our routine for car rides is to have “jam sessions” and listen to “his” music. My brother was the DJ for this adventure. Eventually, he fell asleep on the dashboard, and I was left to deal with whatever music popped up on his phone (Those who know me, know I refuse to touch a phone while driving). So we continued our journey to say goodbye to our grandfather.
Everyone knows I-40 is constantly under construction, which does not bother me. I am a seasoned driver, and since I'm giving you my story, I'll tell you this was the first time I had ever driven by myself to my grandparent's house. We get about 40 minutes from the border of Oklahoma and Arkansas. This is when all I have known turns upside down. For some reason, which is unknown still to this day, my 2000 Chevrolet Blazer veered to the left and exited off of the road.
At this time, for a brief second, I lost consciousness (the car still traveling at 75 mph on the shoulder and in grass). I started hearing and feeling my car go over the rumble strips. Once I regained consciousness, I had no idea what had just happened, and our car was trying to go down the ditch off the left side of the highway. I was scared. I reacted quickly, grabbed the steering wheel, and began turning it. My goal was to correct my car and get it back on the road. My Blazer was back on the road, but not how I had hoped.
When I turned the wheel, I turned too much or too hard, and something drastic happened. My car, the car I had since I was 15 years old, began to turn too quickly. Suddenly, we were on our side, and then upside down. Before I knew it, my vehicle was rolling down I-40. This, I remember vividly. As my brother and I were rolling, I felt glass from all the windows shattering pelting me in the face and making its way into my mouth. I was in and out of consciousness while we rolled down the interstate, which a few moments before we had been on all four wheels on. I saw part of my left side coming out of the driver’s side window. We rolled, and my left arm was outside of the car. I saw the car rolling over my left side, and I could not do anything about it. Then, the car stopped.
It is still unclear how many times we rolled down the interstate, but I know it was enough. My car stopped on its wheels, facing the wrong way on the highway. Neither of us was conscious, yet. I could hear voices telling me to wake up and everything was going to be okay. When I did awaken, I opened my eyes to pure chaos. My ears were ringing, I couldn't see because my glasses were gone, and all I knew was I was outside of the vehicle. My seatbelt was still attached to me, holding me hostage to the door of my Blazer, and my body hanging out of the driver’s window. I knew I could not feel from my neck down, couldn't move my left arm, my ears were ringing, and I had no idea what had just happened. The only thing I cared about was seeing if my brother was okay.
These two gentlemen were behind me on I-40 and saw the accident occur, and they were on the phone with 911. I was yelling for one of them to help me. One of the gentlemen climbed on the hood of my car, through the window (or what was left), and unbuckled my seatbelt. The other was holding me while I fell from the release of the harness, which was holding me to my car. They told me to sit down and stay put. How could I do nothing while I had no idea what condition my brother was in? I turned around and saw the scariest sight I possibly could. My brother’s foot was through the steering wheel and he was slumped over. My best friend was convulsing as if he was having a seizure or stroke.
I started yelling at those guys to help me into my driver’s seat, so I could sit there and tend to my brother. Once I was sitting, (still couldn't move my left side) I checked for a pulse. I knew from first aid training this was the first step to making sure he was going to make it. He had one, but it was slow and barely detectable. I told the people around us to go find our belongings: phones, my purse, wallet, IDs, etc. I got my phone and called my Dad. I had no idea where we were, so I couldn't tell him, but at least I talked to him and he gave me advice on what to do. My Dad helped me stay calm in the most chaotic situation I've ever been in. He talked to the people around me and was able to determine our location. He also talked to our paramedics , told them where to take me, and learned the most terrible news. They told him my brother was in critical condition, and he was going to flown to Tulsa on the helicopter.
My dad encouraged me to talk to my brother, even though he was not conscious and tell him everything would be alright and how much I loved him. At this point, I had no idea when I would see my brother again, what condition he was in, what was wrong, and if he was going to live. The paramedics loaded him up to take him to the helipad to meet his helicopter. I watched my brother leave, not knowing when I would see him or what condition he would be in when I did. My EMTs loaded me up, and I learned I had lost the skin off of my neck and arm and had a hole in my wrist. All I knew was it hurt and I couldn't move my left side.
My brother and I parted our ways. My family split up. My dad and uncle went to Tulsa to be with my brother, he needed them the most. My mom and aunt met me at the hospital in Arkansas. Other family members went to the visitation and then made their way to my hospital room or to my grandma’s. January 22 was the day before one funeral, and it ended not knowing if we would be preparing for another.
