Four Wheeler
Accident
Saturday,
September 4, 2010
This past week has been one of a roller coaster ride for
me. On Monday, August 29, I was
contacted by Richard Hawks, Administrative Assistant of the Seminaries and
Institutes, to see if Marv and I would be willing to serve a mission for a year
in German with a CES assignment. I felt
so good about it and came home and talked to Marv. His major concern was what will I (he)
do? I started to fast and prayer for an
answer and had a pretty restless week at night because I kept thinking of
things I needed to do if we were to go.
Things I needed to study if I were to take the assignment. I felt so strongly that we should accept this
assignment but I was trying to be patient with Marv in making his
decision. He was waiting to hear what
Richard Hawks had determined what we were needed for.
On Friday, September 3, Richard Hawk e-mailed me and said
he was working with the Area Presidency and Area Director and when he had some
answers he was planning on contacting us and we would talk further.
The previous week I had been volunteering at the Cedar
Institute because it was the start of school and I knew how busy they get. I had had a very strong impression that I
should call them on August 7th to see if they would need some
help. They of course were very excited
to think I would volunteer because they did not have any missionary couples
there to help. I loved that week and it
just seemed that everything was going along great.
I volunteered the next week too because Chris Reynolds
needed to take Tom up to Salt Lake for some unexpected surgery on his
face. They were removing part of a nerve
in his face because he was in so much pain that he couldn’t eat or drink or
move around. I hadn’t plan on
volunteering this week because I was trying to get things done for Mike,
Emiliya and her parents from the Ukraine on September 6. So it was during this second week that I
received a phone call from Richard Hawks on my cell phone asking if Marv was
feeling better about a mission and that he really needed us to serve in CES
over there. I know we were blessed
because Marv and I were able to get quite a few things done by Friday.
Marv and I had decided that we needed to spend Saturday
with our children and that somehow we would get everything else done in time
for company. So Saturday morning we went
with Bryan, Candalyn, Mason, Jayden and Madison up Summit Canyon for a
4-wheeler ride. It was a beautiful sunny day. We bought subway sandwiches for Marv and I
and Bryan and Candaylyn fixed hoagie sandwiches for their family. We unloaded the 4 wheelers and had a nice
ride. It was a nice ride but got a
little chilly the higher we went. It
was windy up top but we took some pictures with the background of the red rocks
behind us. We rode to Twisted Forrest
and ate our lunch and then took a little hike up the Twisted Forrest and then
returned to our 4-wheelers to return back to home.
On the way down I was leading the way and Mason was
behind me on his 4-wheeler. I had said a
prayer before we started on our trip that we would be safe and protected. I remember as I was returning I was praying
to the Lord and thanking him for our safe trip so far this day. There were lots of other 4-wheelers on the
road that day. We got back around 2:30
p.m.
We all worked on unloading the packs on the 4-wheelers
and then Marv started to load up the 4-wheeler I had been riding. I believe he said to Mason, this is
Grandma’s 4-wheeler, she should be doing it.
I was standing next to the trailer and ramp and when Marv
started going up for some reason the 4-wheeler he was on jumped to the side. I remember trying to put my hands up to
steady him but something told me to back away and that that I wasn’t strong
enough to stop it. I remember backing
away and then seeing the 4-wheeler start to turn upside down off the trailer
with Marv on it and then I remember seeing Marv under the four wheeler on the
ground and the four wheeler coming down on top of him. I felt so helpless. I couldn’t do anything. The last thing I remember is seeing the four
wheeler but I could not see Marv. I
thought, “He’s dead, no God, not now!”
Then in that exact moment my son, Bryan, was there and
somehow I saw him pick up that four wheeler and throw it. This was totally amazing to me because
earlier in the month when we were four wheeling in Grover (Torrey Area) I
tipped my four wheeler (the same four wheeler) over half way but some how was
thrown away from it and somehow only bruised my arm. I remember I thought that someone must have
saved me from injury because I didn’t even know how I got off and away from the
four wheeler and why it only landed on it’s side. I felt that day my life was spared. This was the week of August 1 through 8th
sometime. It took both Bryan and Marv to
tip this four wheeler back up upright.
Now I just witnessed my son totally take this same four wheeler and flip
it from an upside down position to an upright position and about 4 feet away
from my husband.
I then heard my husband cry out, “My leg it is broken, it
hurts!” I looked at him and thought, “Your
leg?” I thought he was crushed. I looked him over and could not see any
problems to his face, back and no blood anywhere. I then knew that we needed to get something
to immobilize his leg. I walked away to
the small area of trees and started to cry and prayed to God again and said, “God
thank you for saving him but I thought we were suppose to go to Germany for
CES, please God help him be alright, please help us be able to do this.” Then I walked over to where Candalyn was to
look for a strap and I said to her,
“He’s got to be okay because we were asked to go to Germany and I have
felt that that is what the Lord wants us to do.”
Bryan was beating himself up and saying, I almost killed
my Dad. I said, “No you didn’t, you
saved your Dad. If you hadn’t done what
you did, he would be dead. You and God
and the angels have saved your Dad. Don’t
you ever forget that! I will always be
grateful to you and God for his life.”
I asked Mason to get all the keys out of the four
wheelers and then I was still looking for sticks that would work for a
splint. This is where Mason was running
to get the keys that he tripped over Marv’s foot and Marv screamed. I kept saying he didn’t mean to because I
didn’t want him to yell at Mason. I
believe that when Mason did this he reset Marv’s foot and that is why it hurt
so bad.
I walked just a little ways away and found this barnwood
that was tangled in some barbwire and asked Bryan, “Do you think this will work?” It was actually curved and yet it seemed
straight. I really felt I was directed
to it. Bryan came over and got the wire
off of it and broke it into two pieces.
It worked beautifully and Bryan attached it with the tie down strap
which was bright orange. I have to
admit it looked pretty good. At this
point we were still not sure if there was anything else wrong with Marv. I asked Bryan to give him a blessing before
we tried to move him. He was so scared
and said, “I don’t know if I know how.”
I had asked if they had any consecrated oil and we didn’t but I said, “God
will still listen, give him a blessing.”
Bryan placed his hands on his dad’s head and gave him a simple blessing
and as soon as he did that I had a peace come over me that Marv was going to be
alright. It took Bryan, Candalyn and
myself to get Marv into the back of the Yukon.
Marv is amazing because I know he was in a lot of pain but he was doing
everything he could to help us.
It was totally amazing to me that we were all on the same
wave length even the kids and everyone just moved into action and did their
part. The kids collected all the keys
from the four wheelers, took all the things that were in the back of the Yukon
out and put them in the Rhino (coolers, bags, etc.). Bryan was unhooking the trailer, Candi was
finding a strap, I was looking for wood for a splint and then Bryan used his
first aid knowledge he had learned as a scout and put the splint on his Dad’s leg. I really felt the Lord’s spirit as we all
moved into action with no major panic or coming apart. I think we were all being directed as to
what needed to be done.
We got Marv in the Yukon and he had to use Madison’s
little jacket because where he had to sit had the metal for the seats that go
across the back. I know he was in a lot
of pain and we knew we didn’t have any other choice than to get him to the
hospital in Cedar. He did follow over
once and we all panicked but he was just trying to get comfortable. All the way over there, I kept saying a
prayer that God will protect him and that his injuries could be fixed and
thanking God for saving his life. I
made a commitment I would do whatever he wanted me to do. I knew Bryan, Candalyn and the kids were all
so worried and I could really see my son was really worried. I told him, “Bryan, he is going to be
okay. You saved him and your blessing
will help.”
We got him to the hospital and Candalyn and I ran into
the Emergency Room and to tell them we needed
someone to get Marv out of the Yukon.
The girl helping us name was April and she was someone that Candalyn
knew. She sent a guy out there and they
put him in a wheelchair and apparently they were really impressed with the
splint.
Bryan, Candalyn, the kids and I waited in the waiting
room because they wouldn’t let us go back.
Finally after about an hour to hour and half Candalyn went and asked
April if we could go back and they let me go back. I was really worried when I saw him because
he was in so much pain and he said that X-Ray girls were so mean to him. I was trying to figure out what they
knew. Finally a nurse came in and asked
if we were okay. I thought she was
talking to Marv but she was talking to me.
I said, well I just wanted to know what was wrong with him. She said she would have the ER Doctor come
talk to me. Finally she came and took
me over to the computer and pulled up Marv’s X-Rays. She explained that he broke both bones that
run down your leg to your ankle but that they were lined up perfectly and there
were no bone fragments that they would have to put back together. She said he had multiple breaks. I asked if it could be fixed and she said,
“Yes, they do this all the time. They
will put a plate in and some screws and he should be good as new.”
I asked, “Long until he is healed?” She said, “He should be walking normal
within 6 weeks.” I thought, Wow only
six weeks? That is doable. They asked me what happened and bore
testimony to them that it was a miracle and that I thought for sure he was
going to die and if all he did was break his leg we could live with that.”
At this moment, I felt the Lord had answered my prayers
again and that it was still possible for us to serve in Germany. Now it would be up to Marv to realize the
Lord saved his life through his son and that he needed to do whatever the Lord
needed him to do.
I went back to see Marv and then in a few minutes the PA
for Doctor Delcore came in to talk to us about the surgery and what to
expect. He said he would admit Marv
into the hospital because they couldn’t do the surgery until morning. He acted as if this surgery would make his
leg even better than before and that he should be walking normally in six weeks. I felt so dirty from our four wheeling trip
and so I left Marv to go home to shower and then I came back to the
hospital. Bryan and Candalyn had stayed
at the hospital the whole time with me.
Candalyn just left long enough to run the kids home after they had been
there for over 1 ½ hours or 2 hours.
They took me to my house so I could get my keys and wallet and then out
to their house where the Denali was parked.
They went back up to Summit to get the four wheelers and I prayed that
they would be safe. Bryan called me
when they had everything loaded and said they were safe. We made arrangements for them to come to the
hospital about 9:00 p.m. to give Marv a blessing with oil. I talked with Christie and Scott and they
said they could come at 9:00 p.m. also.
I washed and went back to the hospital about 7:30 p.m.
I asked if Marv had eaten but they hadn’t brought him any
food. So they tried to find something
for him to eat. I was just about ready
to leave to buy him a hamburger or something when they finally said they found
an oriental chicken salad and brought that to him after everyone was
there.
The kids and grandkids came and had a nice visit with
Marv. Christie’s little boys each
brought him a bag of candy and a DVD to watch.
Then I said they needed to give him a blessing. Scott Perkins asked if Bryan wanted to do the
anointing or the sealing and Bryan said he wanted to do the sealing. Scott Perkins anointed and then Bryan sealed
the blessing and gave his father a beautiful blessing. I could tell he had gone home and looked up
what he was supposed to say and then he gave a beautiful healing blessing. He asked that the doctor be directed and
that the surgery go perfectly. He
blessed Marv that he would heal quickly and properly. This was the best blessing I have heard in a
long time just because I knew it came from his heart and it was from this
son. These are things that he has
always had a hard time doing but he did it for his Dad. You see this was another little miracle in
the events of this day.
When the kids left, I left to go home because I needed to
go to WalMart to buy Marv some stretch pants.
Bryan said that Mason could stay with me. While we were standing out in the parking lot
of the hospital, Mason said, “Grandma hopefully someday we can forget about
this day!” I stopped and said to him
and the rest of his family, “ Mason, I
don’t want any of us to forget about the events of this day because today we
witnessed a Miracle. We saw that Grandpa
is loved by God and that your Dad is loved by God also because without him, we
wouldn’t have Grandpa. So let’s never
forget about the blessings we have been given this day.”
Mason and I went to Walmart and got Marv a couple of pair
of pants and then I stopped at Panda Express
to get us some dinner. Mason got
chowmein, oriental chicken, fried rice and I got Orange Chicken and
chowmein. We came home and ate our
dinner and turned on the TV. It was 11
p.m. I found a movie on Chanel 13, “The
Best Two Years” a movie about missionaries.
Mason asked a few questions and I fell asleep and Mason woke me up and
said, Grandma it’s over and time to go to bed.
I went to bed and he went to bed. I forgot to check the garage door before I
went to bed. I didn’t sleep very well
because I kept reliving the accident and every time I did I thanked the Lord
for preserving my husband’s life. It
was during the night that I had the thought come to me that when Mason tripped
over Marv’s leg he actually reset it. I
finally fell asleep about 6 a.m. and woke up with a start at 7:00 a.m and
hurried and got dressed when Bryan called and
he was at the back door in the garage.
He had come to get Mason so he could run him home and then Bryan and Candalyn
were going to meet me at the hospital.
I called Karen Marchant at 7:30 a.m. She is our Relief Society President and asked
that she ask people to include Marv in their fasting and prayers today because
he was going in for surgery at 8:00 a.m.
I had tried to call the Bishop and Doug Phillips, our home teacher, the
day before but did not get a response.
She said they would do it and asked what they could do for us. I told her I knew he was going to be okay
but extra prayers will help.
I went to the hospital and Bryan and Candalyn came to be
with me. When the doctor came in he told
us what to expect and then while he was gone, Bryan and Candalyn and I had a
great visit about what had happened and I told them that we had been asked to
go to Germany and my feelings about it all.
I think it was a very special time together. It was so fun and wonderful to hear about
their spiritual experiences and I could share mine.
When the doctor came in he said the surgery went picture
perfect and that he will have the cast off in 2 weeks and should be walking
perfectly in 6 weeks. I overheard one
of the nurses who was in surgery with Marv say it was “picture perfect”
surgery. We were told he could go home
that afternoon after the therapist came in and helped him use crutches. This was again an answer to our
prayers.
Bryan, Candalyn and I went to grab a drink and a
hamburger because we were all beat.
While we were gone Christie came and visited with Marv and then she had
to leave to go home to get her children ready for church.
We brought Marv home around 4:00 p.m. Bryan and Candalyn came back to the hospital
with my Denali because I had driven the Impala and that was going to be too
hard for Marv to get in and out of so they took it to my house and brought back
the Denali.
We got Marv dressed and filled his prescriptions and then
we were able to take him home. Candalyn
made us dinner and then they went home.
Scott and Christie and their boys came over to see Marv and so did Bryan
and Candalyn and their children. When
Bryan left he handed us a 2 page typed experience which he typed up that
afternoon. He said this is lame and I
could tell he was embarrassed. Marv and
I read it. It was the most spiritual
thing I have read in a long time. He
bore his testimony as to what he had learned this weekend.
Marv said that it was well worth breaking his leg just to
have Bryan give him the two blessings.
This was a wonderful experience that I have learned so much from. I know that God loves me, he loves my
husband and that my husband has something important he needs to do, and that he
loves my son, Bryan very much. I know
that things happen for a reason and I know that accidents do happen but I know
that we are so blessed when those accidents turn out to be okay and that God
does work miracles in our lives and we should never doubt that.
