Life can change in an instant

I'm in the process of moving, and my sweet new roommate Michelle offered to help me move my stuff. I asked if she would help me on Monday because she has a truck, and loading stuff in my car was proving to be a slow process. We were at our townhome right before we headed to Hurricane and decided that rather than riding together we would take two vehicles and she would follow me to my house so I could put clothes and things like that in my car and not have them exposed. We got in our cars and started on our journey. I think we hit every light on the way. When we finally got to the Hurricane exit I started to notice snow on the sides of the road. I didn't think much of it because the roads looked clear. There were hardly any people on the road, but the person in front of us was going slow, so I went around them and Michelle followed. I had just switched back into the right lane and glanced in my rear view mirror. Michelle was moving into the right lane and then it looked like she was doing a U-turn. I was thinking, "What is she doing?" And I started moving back into the left lane to turn around and follow her. I was still watching in my rear view mirror and saw her get hit and her truck basically looked like it exploded because yellow pieces of plastic and metal flew in every direction. I didn't realize that the roads were icey until I slammed on my breaks in the turn lane so I could flip around faster and my car started skidding. Michelle had hit black ice and slid into oncoming traffic. She was perpendicular to the road when she was simultaneously hit by two vehicles, a green van and a white suburban type of car.














I called 911 and I couldn't even talk. The officer asked me at least three times if I was calling about the accident in Hurricane. It had already been called in because there was a cop right behind the green van. He had stopped and started getting the situation under control while his partner directed traffic. I finally found my words and told the officer that yes I was calling about the accident in Hurricane. He asked me where it was and again I couldn't speak. I was searching for a mile marker or something and my mind was racing because I just wanted to get to Michelle. He asked me several times where the accident was and I finally told him was by the Hurricane welcome sign, it was the only landmark I could find. I don't remember the rest of the conversation, but it was brief.

There was gas spewing from Michelle's truck and the officer who had stopped told me to keep away as I aproached. He wasn't sure if it would ignite and he didn't want me anywhere near. Michelle was awake and crying. She kept saying she was sorry and that she was stuck. I did what I could to try to talk to her, but I couldn't get very close. I told the cop that I wanted to go hold her hand and he said that he would do it because he didn't want me in danger. He sent me to do little projects, like getting fire exstinguishers and trying to get ahold of Michelle's parents, to keep me from getting hysterical. I have a history of accidents in my family. I've been in a few myself, but I've never witnessed an accident involving someone I know before. And I felt responsible because she wouldn't have even been out there if it weren't for me. He was a very smart cop, and very good at his job. I was on the verge of tears, but I never got hysterical which is amazing considering the situation.

Ambulances and other police officers arrived quickly. Michelle had to be cut from her truck because the seatbelt was stuck and the door wouldn't open. They had her out and in an ambulance within about 30 minutes of the accident. The paramedics weren't sure if anything was wrong, but they thought her hip may have been broken. I insisted that I ride with her in the ambulance because I didn't want her to be alone and I didn't know what else to do. I had to know what was going on and if she was okay. If she had been seriously injured or killed I don't know what I would have done. Once we were in the ambulance I was able to talk to her more and I got her mom's phone number from her. I called our Bishop so he could come give her a blessing once we got to the hospital. The whole situation seemed so surreal. We got to the hospital and they made me sit in the ambulance while they got Michelle to a room. I didn't want to be in the way, so I stayed put. I went in the room and was finally able to try to comfort her. She kept apologizing and saying that she was sorry she couldn't help me move and she kept thanking me for being there with her. She is amazing.

The officer who had stopped first came into the room. He had personally gathered all of Michelle's things from the accident sight and brought them to her at the hospital. He was a godsend. He came in and held Michelle's hand again and was so sweet. His name is Kim Seegmiller and he's one of the most amazing men I've ever met. It was a terrible situation, but it would have been much worse if he hadn't been there to take care of things the way he did. The Bishop and his wife arrived right as Officer Seegmiller was leaving. They took Michelle for x-rays and a cat scan, so we all went out in the lobby to wait. Our other roommates, Sarah and Candice came to wait with us too, and a few of Michelle's extended family members were there. Her parents live a few hours away so they didn't get there for awhile. Luckily, she had no broken bones, no concussion, just some bruising and scrapes. She was in a lot of pain, but nothing too serious so they released her that night. I am so grateful that she's okay and for how incredible she is. I'm not at all happy that she got in an accident, but there were a lot of little miracle surrounding it that I'm grateful for. Her truck is completely totalled, but she was hit on the front end and on the bed and the cab was untouched. And I should have been with her. I didn't even realize that until she said she was glad that I wasn't. I still haven't figured out which way the white car was driving because of where it hit her, but the fact that both cars hit her simultaneously is almost a miracle too because it kept her from ricocheting into other cars. And it was right after 5:00 p.m. There should have been WAY more cars around at the time of the accident, but traffic was really light. The fact that Officer Seegmiller was right behind the van was probably the biggest miracle because of how much he helped everyone. A lot of people offered their help, too. Bishop called me after he had left to thank me for calling him and letting him know what happened and he offered to help me finish moving. A lot of people from the ward offered to help me move, but I was afraid to let them. They were so kind to both Michelle and me.

All the roommates went over to Michelle's aunt's house to visit with her and her parents. She introduced me to her family as the girl who saved her. What an amazing person. I'm really excited to be able to live with her, and Sarah and Candice are equally amazing. I've got all my stuff moved, and I have a lot of unpacking to do now. I miss my sister and her family already, but I'm excited for this new chapter in my life. I couldn't ask for better roommates.