OUR MIRACLE
On August 5th, 2009 in Whitefish, Montana we were given the blessing of life.  As it happened, we
drove up  to a pickup that was stopped to make a left hand turn.  We could not go around it so
we waited for her to turn.  After well over a minute of waiting a brown truck came by us on the
right passing us in the ditch.  He was going quite fast.  At about the same instant a construction
truck hit us from behind.  Our vehicle lurched forward into the pickup making the left hand turn.  
Apparently she saw the truck coming and almost the same instant we hit her she took off
forward.  Actually I did not think we hit her (our car has a perfect mold of her ball hitch in the
license plate).  Later the driver of the brown truck told me he saw the construction truck could
not stop and took to the ditch to avoid it.  As to the construction truck he first turned left then
saw the oncoming traffic there, then turned right and took the ditch.  He jacknifed and
overturned and the construction equipment he was carrying came down on the rear quarter of
our car.  The entire mass of our vehicle, and the construction vehicle slid forward 10-15 feet.  We
found carnage surrounding us when we got out of our car without a scratch.  Life can change in
an instant.  We cannot say enough prayers of thanks to God for "Our Miracle" of survival.
While we waited for a car making a
turn this truck came from behind.
The truck was unable to stop and jack
knifed and flipped over on it's side.  The
red car is our rental car.
The trucks cargo came down on our
red rental car.  Note the license plate
has the imprint of the hitch of the
pickup in front of us.
Fortunately the cargo only caught the
rear third corner of our car.
Joanne is stunned at what happened!
View of three of the four vehicles in the
accident.
An ambulannce came but no one was
hurt.
Close photo of the truck that jackknifed.
Skid marks closer to the point of impact
showing he then swerved the last second
to the right.
The pickup that came up on our right.  He
knew the cargo truck was going too fast
to stop.
Our rental car being towed.
Skid marks on the road taken the next
morning from a distance showing the
transport truck driver first went left to go
around our stopped vehicle.