Our Trip to See the Lights

Oh boy did I have a great idea.

We'd leave about 9,

get to Salt Lake in time for a free, interactive play called

A Pioneer Children's Christmas,

grab some early dinner,

visit the Temple Square nativities and admire the lights, 

then head home.

  Mother Nature decided to snow.

This slowed us down, but we were still gonna make it.

Then poor Shiloh entered the picture.

As we came down the mountain pass,

we were going about 30 

and part of a LONG convoy,

maybe 25 cars and semis long.

All of us were leaving lots of space between ourselves.

Nice and easy does it.

Then a little, black sporty kind of car came ZOOMING around the corner.

It all happened SO FAST!

One split second he was sliding out of his lane,

then he was spinning in circles,

then he smashed into the front of the SUV in front of us,

then he crashed into the guard rail right in front of us.

And there he stopped.

It all took about 3 seconds.

The SUV had a nice husband, wife and teenage daughter.

All buckled, all safe.

Mother hysterical from shock

and the smell of deploying airbags made her think her car was going to explode.

We checked on the driver of the black car.

Shiloh.

He wasn't wearing a seat belt.

He was wedged in the floor area, 

back against the passenger door,

feet down by the driver's pedals.

Obvious head injuries, unconscious.

The car behind us had a nurse in it.

And somewhere beyond that a van had an EMT in it.

They took excellent care of Shiloh,

I fed Jonathan and talked to the kids

while Dean helped load the ambulance

and fill out a report with the sheriff.

Now what?

We decided to carry on.

We missed the play but explored the 

Church History Museum.

They had TONS of hands on activities for the kids.

Then we thought we would walk over to the mall,

eat a bite,

look at the lights,

and head home.

Half way to the food court

Dean looked at me and wondered if we shouldn't try to get some driving done before dark.

The snow hadn't stopped.

So we headed back to the car,

stopped at a Wendy's,

turned on a movie for the kids,

and inched our way back over the mountains.

We were so grateful to be safe at home.

The difference of a few seconds could have really changed the outcome.