There are some moments in your life when you know without a doubt that God is truly in control of EVERYTHING!
Take Friday night on our way south to Portland on I-5…
We drive this route all the time. It is one of the most boring drives EVER! Friday was just like all the other times until we were just about on the bridge before the LaCenter exit. We were just cruising along at 70 mph in the left lane and then it happened…
It seemed to happen in slow motion. One of those ginormous sign bridges was crumpling and falling right in front of us!
Seriously! These things are not supposed to fall! Look how big they are!!!
One minute this giant thing is falling right in front of our van and the next minute it’s gone! We slam on the brakes! Debris is all around us! I’m on the phone with 911! We’re getting out of the car…
Behind us is a wall of stopped cars. Between us and the cars debris is scattered all over the road. On the right hand shoulder, a semi-truck that plowed through the guardrail!
Chris is picking up giant exit signs and other debris out of the road. Zack and Andy ran back to the truck that had gone off the road and hit the sign. It was smoking and their one thought was, “If this thing catches on fire, we’ve got to get him out now!”
Zack climbed up and opened the door. Thankfully the driver had the presence of mind to turn off the truck, the lights and had unbuckled his seatbelt. But as soon as the door was opened, Zack knew he was quite badly hurt! Despite the fact that both his face and eyes were full of glass, he’d gashed his head and was complaining of chest pain (from broken ribs), he was able to slide himself out of the door and walk a few steps with help from Andy and another trucker that stopped. I’m so proud of all my guys!!!
Quite a way in front of us is the semi truck that was next to us in the middle lane. The only reason we weren’t smashed by the sign was because he caught the whole thing and drug it a half-mile further up the freeway!
So many things could have have happened so differently and ended with such horrible results!
When the driver blacked-out, he could have swerved into traffic instead of the shoulder…
He could have busted the gas tank and started a fire… (it came close!) The truck did catch fire when the tow truck came to take it away!
You can’t tell from any of these pictures but if that semi had gone just two feet further, the entire truck would have gone over the embankment!
The traffic was thin enough that everyone behind us was able to see what was happening and stop. No rear enders or anyone hit by debris!
Both truck drivers got out with relatively minor injuries. The second driver only broke his arm!
We know from God’s Word that He is always with us and has all our days preordained! Now we KNOW it!!!
But it still feels a bit weird driving under one of those things… ;o)
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