Last night we were driving to dinner. Harold and Sharon Gulley were in their car leading the way, the rest of the Freed/Gulleys were in the minivan following. We were in the leftmost northbound lane when very suddenly a pickup truck veered into our lane with great speed. All three vehicles veered left. The truck first struck the Gulley's car and then struck the minivan. The apparent cause of the accident was that the truck driver suffered a heart attack.

Harold was driving the first car and had only minor cuts. Sharon had a few more cuts, mostly from shattered glass, but after evaluation had no further damage. Josh was driving the minivan and had only a slight bruise. I was in the front passenger seat and suffered a seven inch laceration and several small glass cuts, the former of which was fixed with 16 staples. Cassidy sat in a car seat behind Josh and was not even scratched. Sadie sat in a car seat behind me and got one small glass-related cut which was repaired with a single stitch. Amy was in the leftmost back seat and was overwhelmed with shock but suffered no physical damage. In about three hours she was discharged from the hospital. Mom was in the middle backseat and complained of side pain. She underwent emergency surgery to remove her ruptured spleen and was recovering nicely this morning. Dad was in the rightmost backseat and suffered the most serious injuries. It appears that the greatest force struck in the vicinity of the wheel well and thus severely damaged his hip/pelvis. This will require a significant surgery. The force of the impact caused his face to collide with the seat in front of him, breaking some orbital bones and causing some damage to the eye. Right now I don't know the extent of the eye damage nor the prognosis, but the doctors are making his eye their primary focus after they determined last night that his brain was fine. He is in a lot of pain, on serious pain medication, and resting remarkably well. It will be a long week for him.

The marvels of modern engineering were quite apparent in the accident. I joked that the baby/toddler car seats must be made of space age material because they looked as good after the accident as before it. The minivan's crumple zone worked perfectly, taking the brunt of the damage. In fact both cars performed very well and are in all likelihood totaled.

The human spirit was strong as well. Witnesses to the accident gathered up the wounded, called 911, comforted babies and mothers, donated towels and shirts to assuage the bleeding, and provided first aid where it was needed most. Two town's worth of police and ambulances came and brought order and care. The EMTs were top notch both with our injuries and keeping the children calm. Triage was filled with Freeds and Gulleys and they got everyone where they needed to be. The doctors and surgeons were knowledgeable, calm, and direct. Cassidy, Sadie, Amy, Sharon, and myself were discharged in a few hours. Local friends helped provide transportation both to our rental house and to Walmart for a very late car seat run. The prayer chains started fast and furious. Family, friends, and co-workers were quick to offer any possible assistance.

Thanks again for all of your thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes.