When Texas-based Sarah Hetrick almost lost her life in a car crash, her doting dad put his life on pause and went above and beyond to care for her.
On May 27, Ms. Hetrick was on the first leg of a 30-hour drive from Austin to northern Montana to spend her summer months hiking and reconnecting with friends. At half an hour past midnight, she was just north of Amarillo, only 30 minutes from the town she was planning to stay in that night, when she was hit head-on by a driver who was on the wrong side of the road.
Regaining consciousness in her wrecked car, confused and in shock, the marketing professional realized she couldn’t feel her leg.
“I tried to move and get myself out but realized my leg was stuck in the door, and I couldn’t reach my phone,” she told The Epoch Times.
Even though it was pitch dark and an incredibly frightening moment, Ms. Hetrick described feeling God’s presence.
“I felt this sense of peace,” she said, “because I knew God was with me; even though I didn’t yet know what was wrong with my body and leg and what was going to happen.”
Her iPhone had already detected the crash and dialed 911. It had also sent a text alert to her emergency contacts—her mom, sister, and dad.
“They got a text message in the middle of the night saying I had been in an accident with a pin to my location,” Ms. Hetrick said.
A passerby who stopped to help asked Ms. Hetrick who she wanted to call, and she gave him her dad’s number as she knew it by heart.
At one of the darkest moments of her life, being able to talk to her father, Stuart Hetrick, a retired doctor, was an invaluable experience. He stayed on the phone with her while paramedics and emergency services arrived, assessed the scene, and started the process of getting Ms. Hetrick out of her crushed vehicle.
She was eventually rushed to the hospital in Amarillo.
To this day, anyone who sees a picture of her crashed car is amazed that Ms. Hetrick made it out alive.
“I’ve heard stories that friends who found out had to sit down when they saw the picture—their stomachs dropped,” she said.
Ms. Hetrick immediately underwent extensive emergency surgery to place a rod in her femur where it had snapped in half.
Being in San Diego meant that Dr. Hetrick couldn’t get to Amarillo until 1 p.m. the following day.
“He had to wait for a flight, and it was killing him,” Ms. Hetrick said.
However, as soon as he arrived, he poured all of his energy into supporting his daughter. He was there “probably 75 percent of the time,” only leaving over the weekend of Father’s Day to spend time with his 92-year-old father.
Ms. Hetrick’s mom, Jennifer Dawn and sister, Shawna Powell also dedicated a great deal of time to be with her and took turns so she wouldn’t be alone.
A week after her accident she had a second surgery to insert another rod in my tibia/fibula and plate on her ankle.
With his daughter bed-bound, Dr. Hetrick, who owns a private medical practice, answered her questions, addressed her worries, and advocated for her.
In addition, he also brought her mail and food, opened packages, tidied her room, and retrieved her belongings from her smashed vehicle. He did everything possible, so his daughter could focus on her recovery.
Meanwhile, Ms. Dawn connected with some of the pastors and the worship team at a church in Amarillo, who showed up at the hospital to sing worship songs with her.
“It was the most beautiful and powerful experience to be sitting in such a vulnerable state—where my future was uncertain, and I was scared and in pain still processing everything to be able to praise God together with other believers that I had just met,” she said, adding that they even returned to celebrate her birthday.
Marking her 36th birthday in the hospital was very different from what Ms. Hetrick had envisioned.
“I expected it to be in Montana with my friends in a mountain somewhere,” she said.
However, her mom and dad coordinated two special surprises.
Her dad delivered a cake while she was FaceTiming her mom and family, who sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
After that, “I was wheeled out to the community area in my wheelchair, and there were over a dozen people singing happy birthday to me,” she said.
Surviving a serious collision has been a traumatizing experience, but for Ms. Hetrick, having the support of people who love her and who are devoted to supporting her has been a humbling experience.
“It really has fundamentally changed me from the inside out because you know your parents love you,“ she said, ”but I think what happened in the hospital and during this time we’re spending together now has brought us much closer on an emotional level.
“I’m seeing the emotional bond between [us] grow, and that part is really special to me. We’ve had struggles in the past, and we’ve had moments that we’ve really had to work through. So having this time together, has been really healing.”
Following her eventual discharge from the hospital on June 19, the crash survivor went to recuperate with her dad and stepmom in San Diego. Functionality is slowly returning to her damaged leg. She has also been progressing in her physical therapy and dealing with the aftermath of shock and trauma, aided immensely by those close to her.
“I’ve learned there’s purpose in every trial,” she said. “Even in the dark moments, God is with us, and no matter what happens to us, we can trust him. ... We’re never alone.”
