A nap or a cocktail?

It’s incredible how a typical day of visiting family could turn into something so very different.  It started off with my husband and two teenage children packing up the car to go upstate with my in-laws.  We were off to the family farm in Sydney, NY which in the past has always been a great adventure.  My in-laws – Ed & Katie were in their car following us and in constant communication as we drove up 84 to 17k.  A short while on Route 17 we noticed a car accident that had shut down the approaching side of the highway.  My husband informed me that the sudden temperature drop was making the road conditions very slippery, especially on the bridges. I sent a text to Katie and told her to go slow–that there were accidents and couldn’t wait to see her up at the farm.  Little did I know a visit to the farm was not going to happen.

We continued to drive a few feet up the road when we saw a small car on the embankment that had just flipped over in the snow.  There were no ambulance, no police, it had just happened and we were the first ones there.  My husband quickly pulled over and the four of us ran to the car having no idea what to expect.  The passenger was able to crawl out a small opening in the door before we reached the car, but he began to scream that the car was on fire and his sister and baby were inside. The driver’s side of the car was imbedded in the snow and the passenger door was only able to open a small amount.  We yanked on the back door and were finally able to get it open to find a crying baby in his car seat dangling upside down. We unclipped the baby, and got the mother out and brought the three of them to our car to check for injuries, calm them down and wait for ambulance and police.  I couldn’t tell you how long all of this took – time seemed to either stop or speed up – it was surreal.  But thankfully the ambulance came shortly to take the family to the hospital and everyone was ok.  

The four of us got back in our car to leave and were just stunned.  Never before had we experienced something like this and we needed a few minutes for it to sink it.  With the roads closed, we decided to meet Ed and Katie at the Roscoe Diner and get warm.  We talked about what just happened, checked the weather forecast and decided to call it a day and head back home.  Sadly - the farm was not going to be visited today. 

The ride back was quiet and somber as we randomly recounted things that stuck out to us about the accident.  After a long silence I looked back to see both my kids sleeping – I smiled and said to my husband “Our little rescue workers are asleep”.  At that point the adrenaline had worn off and I started to cry.  You see -my husband is ALWAYS a hero to me – but the display of such bravery by my children was unreal.   James and Julia were so cool and calm during the accident and acted in such a selfless manner.   I couldn’t help but feel such an overwhelming sense of pride for my amazing family that managed to shine in this situation and showed such genuine humanity. It was at that point that I realized – I really need a nap…or a cocktail….but more so a nap : )