Honestly, this post makes me a little sick to my stomach to write about. And I've been putting it off for a really long time because it still freaks me out. Technically, the accident happened about a month ago (today is 12/23), but it's taken me this long to man up and post about it. On my way home to Jackson Hole for Thanksgiving Break, I was in a really bad accident where my car slid across the road and rolled down a cliff and into a frozen river in Tincup Canyon (right outside of Star Valley). It was the SCARIEST thing that has ever happened to me. And I actually thought that I was going to die there in that river. The whole way home, the roads had been clear and dry and it wasn’t until the top of Tin Cup Canyon that the roads were wet from the melting ice. But then as I got closer to coming out of the canyon, the roads became snowy and icy. So wet tires+icy roads= driving really slow. As I was coming down around a corner and started to slide towards the cement barriers against the mountain. As I turned to correct, all my tires caught on the ice and I started to spin into a 360. But while I was spinning, my car was also moving towards the edge of the cliff. I rolled three times (I think) down a cliff and broke through a sheet of ice covering the rushing river. After I stopped rolling, my car had landed on it’s side with the driver’s side down and quickly began to fill with water and chunks of ice because the windows were all shattered from me hitting my head on them and then all the branches that scratched at them. I was terrified. Terrified. Obviously, I couldn’t get out through the driver’s side, so I reached over to see if I could open my driver’s side door but something pinched in my back and I couldn’t get out that way. I looked behind me thinking that I could somehow crawl/swim through whatever was left of my back window but there was luggage and glass and ice chunks floating all over and there was no way. So I decided that climbing out of my roof was going to have to work. I pushed the button to open my roof and it only opened about a foot before the ice and water jammed it from moving back any farther. This is where I started crying. Like for reals crying because I was all alone and so scared that I was actually not going to be able to get out of my car before it filled with water. And so I said a prayer, grabbed my phone, and climbed out my roof. Here’s the thing though, I have no doubt in my mind that angels were there because I seriously have no idea how I got out of there. Heavenly Father is SO aware of us and our needs all of the time and that is the biggest blessing in the whole wide world. Once I got out of my roof, I jumped into the river (through a layer of ice) and couldn’t touch the ground because it was so deep. So I started to swim back up to the cliff, climbed up, and started running towards Star Valley because I didn’t have any cell service. I wasn’t wearing shoes either and so I was running down the road soaking wet for about five minutes before this random car came around the corner. They pulled over for me and drove me to the LDS church building in Star Valley where I sat by the heater trying to stay warm until my dad came to get me. Once my dad came, we drove back up the canyon to where my car was and met the police, S&R, and tow truck there. S&R had pulled out as much out of my car that they could, but most of it sank or floated down the river (aka my scriptures, journal, chargers, shoes, puffy down coats, etc.). All that survived was my backpack that had my laptop (full of water and broken), camera (frozen), camera lenses (shattered), and some textbooks in it and then one of the bags that I had packed for home that just had socks and t-shirts in it. And like yeah it sucks that my scriptures are gone and all that but really, it’s just stuff and so much worse could have happened to me and I feel so grateful to have gotten out of there the way that I did. When I got home, Dr. Adam came over and did concussion testing (I had a concussion) and then my ribs were bruised up pretty bad and I had lots of cuts and scrapes from climbing out of my roof. I had to wait ten days until after my accident to get an MRI because my spine was so swollen but Adam thinks I either have a herniated disk and/or small fractures in my spine that I will get checked when I go back home after finals. Obviously my car is totaled because of all the water damage and glass that happened but it’s okay because it could have been worse. I have no doubt in my mind that Heavenly Father was watching over me though and that He sent angels to help me get out of there. And yeah it sucks that I lost my journal and my scriptures and shoes and broke my camera and Rosie's gone now and my body hurts but in the end, it's all just stuff and I am so, so, so lucky.
Please wear your seatbelt.
Please say your prayers.
Please drive safe.
Please be careful.
Love,
Caitie
