Icy Roads
Becca was well aware this road could be treacherous and dangerous at this time of year. However, she had just passed a range road sign when she hit a patch of black ice and lost control of her car. It skidded and spun around a couple times before hitting the snow-covered shoulder. Panic set in as she realized she was facing the wrong direction. Her car crashed through the guardrail and slid down the embankment. She sat helpless as her car flew through the air, knowing she had no control over the rolling car.
Becca heard popping metal, cracking and clinking glass as it shattered, the crunch of twisting metal under the pressure of the icy, snow covered ground and trees.
The sound of metal ripping bark off trees was the last frightening sound she heard as the car came to rest on its roof and sank down into the snow. Scary was the fact that the only thing stopping the car from rolling again was a clump of trees growing along the side of the river. Had those trees not been there, her car would have continued to roll, which would have meant the car would have landed in, the river.
Shaken by the collision, Becca peered around at her car and realized just how fortunate that she was in far better shape than it was. She was thankful the seatbelt had kept her safely buckled into her seat. She was equally thankful the inflation of the air bag had saved her from the pain of breaking ribs on the steering wheel. Becca gingerly moved her hand up and down her body searching for broken bones, and though painful bruising had become apparent to be developing and growing on body. Her chest, ribcage, pelvis, forearms, and face, had evidence of tenderness, but she didn’t find any broken bones. In an attempt to regain her composure she tried to sit as quietly as she could for a few minutes.
Becca tried to open her door, but something was blocking it and it wouldn’t open. She carefully unbuckled her seatbelt, bracing herself for the inevitable fall she knew was going to happen. Her body dropped from her upside down sitting position landing unceremoniously on her head and shoulders. Her body rolled onto her right side and finally came to rest, flat on her back. It was strange staring at the floor of her car from where she lay.
She reached over to the passenger door in an attempt to open it. It opened a few inches, but as the car had landed in two feet of snow, it wouldn’t open all the way. She thought, “If I can start the car, I can open the window and then I would be able to open the door or crawl out the window.” She reached over and turned the key in the ignition. The car motor chugged for a moment, not wanting to start, but with a little persistence, it started. She pushed the switch for the window and it opened. Once opened, she turned the key in the ignition to shut the motor off and pushed on the door again. It slid through the snow like a hot knife in butter. She crawled through the door, onto the abrasive, cold snow. She experienced stinging on her knees and shins as the hardened snow scraped and cut into her flesh.
As she scanned the embankment up to the road, which was several feet up from where she stood, she was amazed that she was even able to stand. Dazed by the sight of all the broken trees her car had bounced over or passed between on the roll down to where it now laid left her flabbergasted. She had only taken a few steps when she realized she didn’t have her purse. Knowing she would need it in order to provide a medical card for the hospital or credit card for a hotel Becca turned back. On her steps back to the car, she realized the rear window was entirely gone and noted she could have climbed out of it. She crawled back into the car, moved her jumbled belongings around, until she found her purse. Once she found her purse, Becca climbed back out of the car and resumed her trek up the embankment in search of help.
She was half way up the embankment again, when she glimpsed the headlights from a car as it approached and stopped. She yelled up, “Please, wait, stop. I’m down here.” She observed a man standing at the top of the ridge gazing down in her direction.
