Motorcycle accident part II

READ PART I first


I wanted to be with my kids but knew I should stay on doctors orders to rest and a part of me just wanted to fall asleep and wake up when this was all over. My kids stayed with my mom at her house and I went home with Eve.

I was petrified to be left alone. Even though the depression pit had left I still felt anxious. My sweet Kathy got me lunch and helped put a bed on the couch for me. Little Eve slept. Kathy headed back north to the hospital. I laid on the couch in shock. I kept looking at Eve and looking at my swollen body. I kept thinking and praying for Troy. Communication from here on out was a bit limited with Troy being in the ER and doctors coming in and out.

I received a phone call that read, "unknown". I thought it was odd but I better pick it up. It was the police officer who was dispatched to the accident. He asked if I could come pick up Troys things and I told him I didn't have a car and that I was on bed rest but I would try to see if a friend could pick it up. He said no problem and offered to drop the things off at our home when he was done getting the motorcycle towed and his paperwork done.

He explained the accident to me from what he could tell happened. No other cars or people were involved. THANK HEAVENS! He skid on his bike for 90 feet and then laid his bike down and skid on his bike for another 20 or 30 feet. It happened at an intersection right next to an elementary school.  All Troy remembers is seeing a red light in front of him and then "coming to" when he was on his arms and legs like in a dog position. (BTW I plan to have Troy write his side of the story soon)

From what we can gather Troy fell asleep or mentally checked out. He was under so much pressure at home, school and work.

I received so many text messages and phone calls that day. Most of them I didn't respond to because I wanted to keep my phone line opened. About an hour or so after Kathy left I heard a knock at the door. I cringed inside thinking it might be the mail lady or something and I almost didn't open the door. I slowly walked to the door and opened it. To my surprise and amazement there stood 3 beautiful young ladies with cookies and milk in hand. These sweet girls came to my rescue that day. They sat with me and talked with me for hours. They kept my mind off my depression pit, they helped me not think about my injured husband who I couldn't be with, they helped me realize what a wonderful life I have. My dear friend Krystal didn't leave my side and made me stay in bed.

The police officer came and dropped off Troys things. Krystal helped bring in everything from his helmet to his backpack and box that sat on back of Troys bike. It was surreal to see these things sitting in my house without Troy here. I can't imagine the horror it would be if he had passed away and all I had left were his "things".

At some point during the day the PA from the doctors office called me and said she had heard what happened to Troy. She asked if there was anything she could do for us including going to the hospital to check on him. She said she wished she had known I was in the office earlier so she could have given me a hug. One thing that will stick with me forever is she said, "Bethany I'm not only your doctor I am your friend." It warmed my heart.

I knew we needed to get Troys motorcycle out of the towing yard immediately because they like to make you pay a ton of money to have it just sit there.  My dad and Brother Smith (the one who gave him a blessing) were working the insurance side of things and with the towing company. We worked it out to get it out of the yard but had to jump through a few hoops. Because of insurance reasons and such they wanted Troy to be the one to get it out (well that wasn't going to happen he was in the hospital) and we had to find the registration card and all that jazz. Some of the paperwork had gone missing in the chaos of the crash and towing it. But thankfully we were able to get it out. My sweet Krystal stayed with my 4 day old so I could go with Brother Smith to get the motorcycle out. It cost $200 for them to tow it maybe 70 yards and to have them keep it 6 hours. Plus it was Veterans Day so they charged us an extra $50. I asked for a Veterans discount since it was Veterans Day... They didn't find that very funny. I was so thankful Brother Smith had a vehicle and flat bed that would carry the motorcycle. I didn't even turn around in the car to see it. We dropped it off at my parents house and stored it in their garage until the insurance adjuster came because I couldn't even bare to look at it. I truly hated that thing from day 1. Brother Smith had a million things going on that day and he dropped everything to help us out. He was so kind and considerate to help me in and out of the car because he knew I had just had surgery. He even helped me walk from my house to the car and back into the house.

By the time we got home (we had to pick up some flags for scouts on our way back) Troy was just getting home. I saw him all banged up and started to cry. In a way it was worse than I expected but better at the same time. He had scratches on his face and a big gash from a knot on the inside of his helmet. His helmet saved his life. I will post pictures of the things that got destroyed like his reflective vest, shoes, pants and helmet. He had road rash all over both legs up to his knee. If you are LDS then you know that there is no coincidence of them coming right to that spot. And of course his collarbone was broken.

I was so thankful that Kathy and my dad could be there with him at the hospital. Kathy and Don took such good care of us for 3 weeks. We really would not have survived if it wasn't for them. They took us here, there and everywhere for doctor appointments and such. Kathy cooked all the meals, bathed all the kids, cleaned my house and made freezer meals among everything else! She truly was my angel. I think I healed because of her. She helped me overcome my physical healing and mental. She said something to me that was just what I needed to hear. "Heavenly Father has all the confidence in the world in you." Cara, Krystal and Brother Smith were are other angels that day. There were many after that day too. From meals to gifts to running errands for us.

We saw many miracles some of which I will share and some of them I will not. I had called Troys adviser at school a few hours after the accident to let her know he had been in an accident and Troys boss too. Those are 2 miracles I will post about soon! And I hope to get Troy to write his side of things soon too.

The motorcycle accident part I

I do not remember most of the conversation I had with Cara. I think my mind completely turned off. I remember turning to my mother in law and saying, "Troys been in an accident." I remember asking if Troy was okay and where he was. At some point Troy wanted to talk to me on the phone so she handed him the phone. He was not making any sense. He was asking things like, "Where am I?" "What am I doing here?" I asked him to hand the phone back to the nice lady who gave him the phone in the first place which thankfully he did. I remember asking Cara if she could stay with him until I could get to him and she said yes she would stay with him as long as I needed her to. I hung up the phone and started sobbing right there in the waiting room of the doctors office.

I knew we needed to move fast so we packed things up and headed to the elevator. I called my parents who had the other children at the aquarium. They were already on their way home because Cara had called her mom to get my moms phone number when she couldn't get a hold of me. The plan was to get everybody home and then my Dad would head up to the hospital and Kathy would too. Some time in my conversation with Cara I knew that Troy would be getting a blessing. She had already called Brother Allen Smith in our ward who called his son and they were in route to the hospital.

Troy called me again right as we were getting in the car to go home and he was being checked over by EMT's and he was more coherent. He also "reassured me that he was just fine" but was going to the hospital just in case. He called his brother and dad and told them he thought he had broken his collarbone and shoulder. He didn't want to worry me so he said he was just fine.

I will forever be grateful for our angel Cara. She had left early that day (earlier than she had planned) and came upon Troy right after the accident happened. Troy asked her to hold his hand. And the fact she didn't even hesitate brings me to tears. She held his hand and comforted him when I couldn't be there to do it. She has stayed in touch with us and checked up on us. She arranged for priesthood holders to administer to him and kept me posted the best she could. She stayed with him until the ambulance left with him in it. She was one of many angels that day who was put at the right place and time.

As we drove south to Los Lunas (about 40 mins we were on the northside of town) I just wanted to curl up in a ball and die. I truly didn't know how our lives would change. What if he was paralyzed? Did he hit another car? What if they sue us for everything we own? What if he has brain damage and can't work the rest of his life? There were many phone calls and voxes exchanged. Don my father in law literally packed a suitcase and started the long 9-10 hour drive to get here immediately after receiving the phone call. Prayers were sent out from all over.

I knew we would be passing the ambulance heading north as we were heading home. I kept waiting to see it. It went by in a flash. But for a minute time stopped. I dont remember if I yelled it out loud but I just screamed out to my Father in Heaven to spare his life. I thought I had prayed hard before in my life but nothing can explain or express the depth of that prayer. I wanted to fly like a bird and be at my husband side. I just wanted to leap out of the car and make everything okay. I kept saying, "Please God be with him. Be with him now. Be with me. Please spare his life. Please bring him home to me. Send angels to be with him and to hold his hand because I can't be there now." I connected with Troy that day in a way that I have never felt before in my life. I felt as if my soul left my body and sat next to his side for a brief moment to hold his hand, kiss his forehead and tell him I would be there is spirit and I told him I loved him. It was that moment of time when everything stopped. The chaos around me was quiet and I felt peace.

As we got closer to home I could feel the mud pit around me disappear. I will refer to it as the depression pit. My anxiety of 4 children, and cleaning my house, and cooking meals and getting the kids to school on time was still there but this ugly pit that was around me left. I had a new focus now.