This is Part 4 of our crash story, so if you are just tuning in, please check the other blog  posts to catch the full story.

When we hit the car that had decided to pull into our lane, this is what happened:

We hit the other car, flew straight up into the air like a rocket, came down, hit the concrete barrier on the mountain side of the highway which caused us to flip three more times. The van landed on the lake side of the highway on its wheels. Brew landing underneath the van, his head just missing being crushed by the wheel well by only a half of a inch. Me and three of our children laid out on the highway, one child still inside the van.

How do I know these details? I was in the van, being thrown, jerked, and slammed. I flew through the air and landed on the concrete. I could not possibly know these details,  only felt them. How then?

I know this because two weeks after the crash, our insurance adjuster showed up at our door, with a payoff check for our van. He introduced himself and asked if I had time to sit and hear a story he wanted to tell me.
Of all the people driving on Highway 97 on Memorial Day 1999, directly behind us, is our insurance adjuster. HELLO! . He witnessed the moment by moment details of the crash,. He also was the one who helped my son lift the van off of Brew in order to get him out. He actually had over $3000.00 worth of damage to his car trying to stop to avoid hitting us.  He watched in fear and amazement, as our van was flipping and hitting, seeing our family being thrown and strewn out on the highway.  He called 911. He got involved in every part of the crash. God clearly ordained that this would be the man to witness this amazing event, knowing we would see him again and hear the miracle story in detail so we can give glory to God , and tell of His mighty wonders.

The person behind him was a nurse. The only child I could not see or touch was Emily, my 5 year old, who had flown the farthest. The nurse, who was two cars back, ran to her to make sure she did not have a broken neck and gently assured her keeping her calm. Clearly a set up from heaven!

Another huge miracle and testimony of how God uses people to touch lives… One thing  was very clear to me, after arriving at the hospital.  I knew we were to contact a friend of ours in Bend.  It was so clear to me that Paul Frazier was to know what had happened. I did not know anything more than that.  I called my mom and asked her to contact Paul. Next thing I know, Paul left his family, jumped in his car, drove almost three hours to Klammath Falls. He got a hotel room and began the process of finding our van, gathering all of our belongings that were strewn on the side of the road and the hillside(even found my glasses and the boy’s skateboards), contacted insurance companies, organize prayer teams, and covered all the bases so we could rest.  He stayed there for days until we were released from the hospital.  This was truly a gift from God. He kept everything together and had us covered in continual prayer. What an example of sacrifice, love, and truly being God’s hands and feet in such a practical way that brought us peace.

One quick story about Paul and the power of prayer- on the fourth day after the crash, we were all having a terrible day. I could not think or open my eyes, Lily, my two year old, was completely out of it. The doctors kept coming in our room, trying to talk to me about Brew. They were deeply concerned he was not going to be o.k. and wanted to know details about him. I could not talk and felt like I was falling apart. Paul noticed this decline happening and quickly got  to work.  He walked into local churches during their mid week meetings, and told them about our family and the crash. They were familiar with the story. They stopped their meetings and prayed. He got on the phone and contacted churches in Bend.  By 10:00 that night, I suddenly woke up, clear headed, strong, and knew at that moment, whatever that was, it was gone!  We were released from the hospital the next day!

In Awe of His Mighty Wonders,

Sheri