Car Accident

Our daughter, who is now living in Florida, was in a four-car crash on Friday afternoon.
She was on her way home from work, driving on a major highway.  Traffic was moving normally.

Suddenly the Ford F150 truck in front of her slammed on his brakes.  She slammed on hers. Why would the truck stop so fast?  That truck was so big, she couldn't see in front of him.

She saw a bike lying on the side of the road but didn't realize it was involved.

Sarah was the fourth vehicle, the last one in the wreck. When a policeman arrived, he took quite a while gathering facts for his report. But when he finally came to her window after having talked to the first three drivers,  he told her that normally he'd be giving her a ticket (and all the others).

Thankfully, he said that would not be the case here. The first car had bikes hooked onto a rack in back. One of the bikes came loose and flew off. Hence, the fault was the driver of Car #1.

Our daughter is fine, thank God! It could have been so much worse.  Her 2005 Santa Fe is totaled, and she is feeling pain in her knees (they hit the dash) and her clavicle (from the seatbelt) and her right side (for reasons she has no idea why).  No doubt she will feel pain eventually in many places because of the nature of tensing up and being jolted.

I'm thankful she wasn't rear ended.
I'm thankful she wasn't at fault.
I'm thankful that the truck in front of her only sustained minor damage.
I'm thankful that the truck was larger than hers, so it probably protected her from anything flying toward her.
I'm thankful that the bike was not being ridden.
I'm thankful that the family she's living with are compassionate, understanding Christians. The husband came to her aid, and the wife took her out that night for a girls' night to decompress.

I'm thankful that she called me first when it happened. Unfortunately, I was in the tub and couldn't hear the answering machine. But to know that a grown-up child still wants to call her mama when she's hurt is very comforting.

I'm thankful she then called her dad at work,  and that he is an insurance expert. It helps that he's been 31 years in the biz. His knowledge and easy-going manner are reassuring.

I'm thankful that Sarah's vehicle was paid off.  Naturally she is upset that she has to replace it. It only had 93.000 miles on it, and she was planning a cross-country trip in the spring.  She is also nervous about buying a new vehicle without her dad able to be with her. (Can you tell she's a daddy's girl?)
But it will be good for her to trust God in this new experience. I've told her it'll be okay. She can trust that God will lead her to a good, affordable new (to her) car.

My baby girl is fine. And I can exhale.