Safety during a car crash
In 2010 I was in an auto accident. I was driving on a very straight stretch of road that had a center turning lane, where cars from either side can turn left or right. Traffic, including me, was moving at about the speed limit, 45 miles per hour. As I was driving, a car headed in the other direction suddenly came out of its lane only a few hundred feet away. It was probably less than a second before we hit almost head on. The car behind me was not able to stop in time and quickly became part of the collision.
When I was in the moment, seeing everything happen, I immediately had a feeling that I was being completely surrounded by divine Love. I sensed that, whatever was going on, I was being cared for by God. I also remember thinking, This is going to be interesting.
I had been able to turn the steering wheel just enough to the right so the point of impact was on the left front of my vehicle. When I later mentioned this to my insurance agent, he was surprised because “normally” that kind of immediate reaction would not have been possible. After the cars had crashed, I was able to crawl out of mine without any problem. My vehicle and the vehicle that hit me were damaged beyond repair, while the third vehicle was extensively damaged. I later found out that one driver was seriously injured. This young man, who had caused the crash by falling asleep at the wheel, was brought to the hospital, but released the next day. The driver behind me was completely fine.
As the police, fire trucks, and ambulance arrived, I thought of how all these emergency workers express love in their jobs and responsibilities. I chose to stay with these thoughts of gratitude rather than fear and panic. I probably had a half dozen emergency respondents ask me if I was all right, but each time I said I was fine, they immediately accepted that I was and went on to other things. The harmony of God’s presence was clearly felt by everyone there.
This harmony continued as I dealt with insurance companies, receiving very fair compensation for my vehicle. I was leaving for a trip to Australia in two weeks and would be gone for a whole month, but was able to get the insurance requirements completed before I left.
I had been warned that even though I was not injured, I would likely have soreness for weeks. The only thing that seemed to hurt was a pain on my left side, and the thought that I had a broken rib came up more than once. I had to attend two weeks of classes the day after the incident, but each time I felt the ache, I prayed to know the reverse mental argument—to see the perfection of the one Mind, God, I was reflecting. I didn’t miss a minute of my classes. I had a comfortable, long flight to Australia, and sometime during that trip all remaining twinges of pain disappeared. I was grateful to be able to hike over 200 miles in some of the most beautiful areas of the country.
About four months after this happened, I was having dinner with some friends visiting from out of town. In the course of the conversation, they asked me about my car and I told them about the accident. They asked if I had been afraid of dying, and I said, “No, I felt very protected—not just by my airbag and seat belt, but by a quick prayer.” One of them said the prayer “must have really been quick,” and my reply was “God doesn’t need a lot of time.” There was a long thoughtful silence, and then my friend agreed. This little exchange was a wonderful summary to me of the natural unfolding of God’s love for us and our manifestation of this love at all times.
David Dahl
Tucson, Arizona, US
