March 4 marks the 16th anniversary of a near-fatal wreck I endured with my family in Grenada on Interstate 55.
My parents, my niece and I were traveling home from a funeral in Memphis when a dog ran into the road.
My niece swerved to miss the dog and lost control causing my car to flip.
The roof crashed onto the pavement before the vehicle returned to its wheels and slammed into an embankment at the Mississippi Highway 8 exit in Grenada.
The impact where the roof met the road broke several of my mom’s bones, ejected my father nearly tearing his leg apart and broke two vertebrae in my neck.
Motorists, who I will probably never see again or get to tell “thank you,” came to our rescue, called 911 and prayed for us while we waited for ambulances.
We appreciate God’s hand and the efficient work of the first responders, including Mississippi Highway Patrol, Grenada Fire Department and Emergency Management technicians that allow us to be here today.
For a while, the events of that day began to seem like a dream to me until I met one of the on-scene firefighters in the Grenada Walmart one day.
He had recognized me from the wreck and described how seeing me and my family impacted him in the midst of the devastation.
First responders come to our aid in a whirlwind of victims’ fear, anxiety and pain, but we rarely consider how our emergencies affect them.
Scott Alexander, Emergency Management Technician/Paramedic and husband of my co-worker Marsha Alexander, delivered the baby of a scared mother in the ambulance on the way to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Grenada.
While we know the parents were happy, Scott shared in the joy of assisting a new life into the world, according to Marsha — so did all of us at The Winona Times and The Conservative newspapers.
Things could have been much different had the mother been with someone who had no knowledge of procedures required in safely delivering babies.
Appreciation for first responders and their importance is being shown more often across the state and nation just as the Carroll County Development Association, churches throughout the county and citizens honored Carroll County first responders with a full breakfast on Feb. 26. Winona Police were celebrated on Tuesday with a meal provided by Apostolic Tabernacle.
