A rather scary thing happened to Gail and I yesterday.

We decided to take the dog for a walk and went our normal route. Part of that route is along Algonquin Parkway, which is a four-lane rode divided by a wide grassy median. There’s a bike/jogging path that we walk along that is up a slight incline from the road. Gail and I were walking quietly on the side of the road going against traffic, when we heard a terrific squeal of several cars’ brakes from behind us.

We flipped around and witnessed a car that had been traveling in the far lane swerve crazily across the road, into the median and crash through a road sign. The car then came into the on-coming lane (the one we were walking along side) , shot straight across it causing cars to swerve and brake, and then jumped up onto the bike path we were walking on, crashing head-first into a tree. The spot the car stopped at was the spot we’d been not 15 seconds before.

I handed the dog’s leash to Gail and sprinted to car. When I got around to the driver’s door, a lady about my age was struggling to get out. I shoved the door open (it was crimped fairly tight as a result of the crash) and helped her out, walking her a bit of ways away from the car and sitting her down on the bike path. She had a dazed, far-off look in her eyes, and kept asking if she’d hit anyone. A gentleman came up who’d witnessed the crash and identified himself as an EMT. He started asking questions and I left her in his care.

Several people were stopped along the road or had come from their houses by now and calls had been made to 911. The lady was asking for her purse so I got back into the car and retrieved it. The nitrous smell from the airbag was strong, and I found her purse on the floor. After giving it to her, I went back and turned the ignition off. The car itself was steaming quietly, the front end completely mangled.

Seeing as how it was under control, and she was in no immediate danger, I went back to Gail. The poor dog was shaking and howling. She quieted down once I got back, and we continued our walk.

If we’d left the house just 15 seconds later, things might have been drastically different this Christmas morning. Many small prayers of thanks were said, I think, between both of us as we finished our walk in silence.

Merry Christmas everyone. I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday.