Russ Russ

This post was going to be an Anniversary post about the last three years and how Russ was at Scout Camp so I spent our Anniversary with Lincoln instead... But it will now be about Russ's drive home from scout camp.

Russ has been at scout camp all week four hours from home. They went rafting and boating and cliff jumping and fishing, etc. etc. I was terrified all week because scout camp is notorious for accidents so I prayed all week long that Russ would come home alive. I know that sounds a little crazy... but my prayers were answered. They were on their way home Saturday afternoon and were ONE exit away from home when they went over a hill. Right over the hill is an on-ramp where a semi was getting on the freeway. Apparently, a truck had cut the semi off so the semi had to slam on its breaks so was almost at a complete stop on the freeway. As the truck Russ was in came over the hill, they saw the semi, slammed on their breaks, and tried to swerve into the other lane but they were too close and smashed into the semi probably going about 60 mph. This was the truck.

Russ was in the passenger side. The dash came down and trapped his legs and he had to pull himself out and one of the young men in the back. All five individuals in the accident walked away from it. For that, we will be FOREVER grateful! They all have scrapes and bruises and had to go to the hospital for x-rays but they are all okay. Lincoln was SO EXCITED to see his daddy! He had no idea what was going on but hung out with daddy in the ER. Russ has a bunch of scrapes and bruises and his neck and back are really sore. The x-ray of his knee looked okay but they don't know if anything was torn. We'll have to wait it out about a week and see.

There were so many tender mercies that happened around this accident. Here are just a few:
-Besides the truck directly behind them after the crash, the next two vehicles were a state trooper and an ER nurse. They just HAPPENED to be the next cars that came by!
-Another truck was supposed to be pulling the trailer but the lights didn't work on his truck so the truck Russ was in was pulling the trailer. The weight of the trailer possibly could have stopped the truck from rolling which would have resulted in more serious injuries.
-All of the individuals in the car were wearing their seat belts (which saved their lives)
-The dash came down and Russ's legs were stuck. Had another car ran into the back of them, Russ would have lost his legs. I am so grateful that the truck behind them was able to pull over to the side of the road before hitting them.
-Russ just happened to have volunteered at an ER for a year during college and all of his training and experience there kicked in and he tried to remain calm, think of other things, and ask others questions so he wouldn't go into shock.
-The state trooper and ambulance workers said in a crash like this they are usually looking at serious injuries and death.
-The state trooper asked Russ if he was in the passengers seat then told him how lucky he was to be alive.

I am so grateful that my prayers were answered and that my husband made it home from scout camp. I am also so grateful for all the prayers that have been given in his behalf. I am so humbled for all the prayers that have been given for our family over the past couple years and am so grateful that I have BOTH of my BOYS at home with me today.