“A Second Chance: My Sister’s Miracle”

I never truly understood the importance of family until the day that my sister almost died. Car accidents are a normalized topic in today’s society. We hear about the fender bender that happened in the school parking lot or the motorcycle accident that caused a death on the street next to your house. Sometimes these issues sprout from being on your phone while others can be as harsh as someone driving intoxicated. I never really understood the importance of this issue until I had to witness my sister getting hit by a dump truck.

On July 21, 2021, I was exhausted from just having 6 am soccer practice. I sat in the backseat of my neighbor’s car eager to get home so I could go back to sleep. It was such a beautiful day outside! An ambulance passed by me without a thought in my mind. Ambulances are normal and one never thinks of them racing to someone they know. I thought to myself, dang, I have to sit in traffic. I was minutes away from my house. I saw the car and realized that it was a very serious accident and there was “no way” that the driver could have survived being hit by a dump truck. The traffic was taking so long so I had to inform my mom about being late. That was THE moment. The second I heard her sobbing, I knew that the accident was a loved one. “The car you’re waiting in traffic for is your sister.” My head was spinning. Why me? Is she alive? Who did this to my best friend? Tears were rushing down my cheeks as my neighbor sat there in awe. The car of the person I thought was dead had turned out to be my sister. My 13 year old self was just informed that her sister was in a horrible accident with no further information. I had to break the news to my father and my other 2 siblings. That was the first day I had ever heard the 2 boys in my family cry. I realized just how serious it was when they told me that she needed to be aircared to the trauma unit. I was already facing the stages of grief as I had convinced myself that my sister was not alive. I experienced sadness, denial and most of all anger. Why would such an idiot driver be able to drive a dump truck? Not a thought in my mind blamed my sister for something that I was oblivious to. The next 3 hours were the longest hours of my life. I was waiting for answers that I was scared to hear. I asked my dad, “Is she going to make it?” I have never seen more anger in my dad. This accident brought the worst out of my family, while also bringing us together more than we ever have been. By the end of the day we got the news we prayed to hear. She was going to be perfectly fine with no internal bleeding/damage. A broken clavicle, pelvic, tibia, femur and rib was the best news we could hear. My sister survived getting hit by a dump truck.

Months later, after countless days of physical therapy, my family was able to talk to the first responder involved. He said, “This was the worst accident we have seen in years. She is truly a miracle.” To think that my sister could be dead right now brings me distress. She is completely healthy now with no setbacks except for metal detectors going off in airports. But what really happened? One will never know the true answers, but it is assumed that she was texting and driving. Due to severe memory loss and no contact with the dump truck driver, we will always have questions about what happened on such a miserable day.

With all this being said, before I started driving I was able to learn the importance of driving safety. Witnessing such a horrible accident opened my eyes to the idea that it can happen to anyone. Not only did my sister grow more cautious as a driver, but so did so many people in my community. Her story inspired so many people to care more about being behind the wheel. That day I realized how important it is to not take driving for granted. It is a privilege that should be treated with safety and security. While I can not control other people on the road, I have learned how to be a cautious driver. Sharing her story is the least I can do to grow awareness of how important it is to be safe behind the wheel.