Part 2, I believe in miracles!

By now all you dear readers should know I am a procrastinator, but obviously I pulled through and survived this event that occurred 19 years ago, on December 23, 1999.  The Ford Explorer I was driving with Firestone tires definitely could have resulted in death, but the Lord and my overworked guardian angel decided it wasn’t my time, and for that I am eternally grateful. The talented orthopedic surgeon saved my foot, but he did tell us it would be a year before I could be walk fairly well.  I pushed it and was able to walk within 5 months.  During the recovery process the multiple broken ribs were a royal pain, but thankfully there were no internal injuries, just a lot of swelling and bruising.  If you had seen the car you would find my survival quite a miracle.   The impact with the tree had pushed the engine into my person and snapped my right foot like a twig.

The year before this accident, In July of 1998 Jerry was driving this same vehicle and the left side rear tire blew out just as we were getting on an interstate in Pennsylvania.  At the time of my accident it was just assumed that black ice had caused me to lose control of the car.  Months later the news came out that Ford Explorer/Firestone tires were a lethal combination resulting in serious accidents and deaths across the country. By the time we learned this troubling news, our vehicle had been destroyed. However, the insurance company was able to provide us with photos.  Sure enough, the back tire on driver’s side was flatter than a pancake.

Rather than drag this saga out any further, I will conclude by giving you a link if you’d like to learn more about Ford Explorer/Firestone.

The following link gives an overview of the horror of the Explorer/Firestone combination and tells of the many injuries and lives lost with this lethal combination.  Stay tuned for Part 3 where I will share lessons learned from my most unfortunate incident.

https://www.nytimes.com/2000/09/19/business/fatal-explorer-accidents-involving-bad-tires-soared-in-99.html