Still shook up.

So we’re hauling along today, coming up towards an overpass. There’s a big rig in front of us, both of us in the right lane. But a 100 yards before the overpass this beefed-up SUV towing a pop-up camper veers, starts to skid, loses control and rolls three or four times, with the camper going up over the shoulder, coming to rest at the pillars of the overpass. We watched the whole thing.

Cloud of dust, black underbelly, white roof, black underbelly, white roof, black underbelly, etc. Glass and taillights exploding.

We come to a quick stop. I throw the thing in park and run out towards the mangled vehicle, so afraid, feeling the adrenalin surge.

This is serious. People are hurt. They might need to be pulled out? Is the car going to burst into flames? Were people thrown from the vehicle? All this, running through my sweating head as I quickly made my way up to the wreck.

I remember not wanting to walk around the vehicle, afraid of what I’d see.

Just as I did, other people were running over the median to help.

It was an older couple, with their granddaughter. A Hispanic man quickly climbed up on top of the vehicle, opening the door and with the help of a couple guys, and pulled out the little girl. She was unhurt for the most part. Just a couple minor cuts.

Then I saw movement in the front seat and a man started to scoot out of the broken windshield. His legs has some pretty good cuts, but for the most part, he was okay. Just shook up and in shock. People were amassing at this point, offering first aid kits and 911 calls. I just stood there, slowing down the traffic that was driving by in the sorta open lane.

The man’s wife was still in her seat belt, suspended in her seat. A doctor ran up and took control of the scene. People were consoling the little upset little girl, and the wide-eyed older man. About 10 minutes into it, a couple fire units came from either direction. The firefighters and medics had the woman out of the front seat and onto a stretcher in five minutes. It was incredible to watch them kick into action.

Mom and I gave our statements to an Iowa state trooper, some contacts and were on our way.

Right there in front of our eyes…a rolling vehicle. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen. All these years driving back and forth across these states, and never saw anything this intense and visceral.

You know how they say that time slows down in accident situation? Like, kind of slow motion? When I think back, it happened so fast, but, oddly, in a slow way. I think that’s just how the brain remembers something that traumatic. Slow motion, sort of.

A scary moment, out on eastbound I-80, milepost 96.