Summit Oil Company,
My name is Heather
Slack. I was involved in a miraculous accident with one of your
trucks on December 30th when I was traveling down Parley's
Canyon. The truck driver was named Perry Coon.
Today it has been
one week since the accident and I need to be able to tell Perry thank
you! How do I thank a man that saved me and my children's lives? He
is part of our miracle! When my car slid on some black ice and
somehow I was able to hit into the perfect pocket underneath the
large tanker truck for my Toyota Avalon to fit in, Perry was in the
right frame of mind to stop his truck and bring us to safety. He was
the first to run back and check on us. He turned off my car and made
sure we were alright. As I frantically asked him if anything was on
fire and if we were going to blow up, he calmly told me that
everything looked good and he didn't see any danger. He stayed out
in the freezing cold for over 2 hours helping the emergency crews and
making sure everything was safe with the large load of oil he was
carrying. He was very kind to everyone around. After I had been in
the ambulance for a while and was recovering from being so cold I
knew I had to talk to Perry. I talked to him for a moment from the
back of a police car while I waiting to give them information but
then I was able to get out and give him a big hug and tell him thank
you but I need to tell him more.
I need to tell him
that he saved the lives of my two beautiful children. My daughter is
13 years old and is in 8th grade. She loves to sing and
play the violin and guitar. She is a great friend to those around
her and is a wonderful listener to those who are struggling and need
a shoulder to cry on. My son is 11 years old and is in 5th
grade. He is such a character that always has a big grin and can
make everyone laugh and laugh. He sings and plays soccer and
basketball. They have such bright futures ahead of them.
The first night we
were home from the accident they had a hard time going to sleep
because they kept thinking about all of the what ifs. What if we hit
the truck differently? What if the truck driver couldn't stop in
time to get us out safely? We knelt in prayer and thanked Heavenly
Father for sending us a man like Perry and others that helped us
through the awful moments and we decided that this accident happened
to propel us forward not hold us back. We will do our very best to
do whatever our Heavenly Father has in store for us while we're here
on earth. Needless to say we have slept just fine since.
Right now I am
attending the Salt Lake Campus of Utah State University to become an
Elementary School teacher. This is a dream that I've had for quite a
while and I'm so grateful that next year I will be able to fulfill
that dream. I am married to a wonderful man named Tyler. We have
been married for 17 years and we have found a renewed appreciation
for eachother and our little family since the accident. He will
forever be grateful to Perry for helping to bring his family back
home to him that day.
I will continue to
share our miracle story with all that I can to let them know that we
aren't in control, but we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows
what is best for us and puts people in our path to help us through.
Our mission on this earth wasn't finished yet. We walked away from a
terrifying accident with hardly a scratch on us. We are so grateful
for men like Perry who helped us to survive. We will never forget
you Perry!
Love,
Tyler, Heather, Sami
and Griffin Slack
Hi Heather
I agree with you.
If Heavenly Father is aware of and cares for every fallen sparrow, just think of how much more he is aware and cares for his sons and daughters.
You are right in thanking your eternal father for that miracle that day. It is comforting to know that we are never alone especially in those moments that we need divine help the most. We are all so grateful that the outcome that day was so good. We will pass this E-Mail on to Perry.
We have had a safety stand down to review the accident and to verify our training and we are so glad that Perry did exactly as he should have to contain and help as he could.
We are glad your family is all well. Tell your family to Thank there Heavenly Father and have a smile come back onto there faces. ALL IS WELL.
Steve Johnson
CEO Summit Oil Company
Gratitude is an interesting thing. There really isn't anything I can do to completely repay the people who helped us. How can you pay back someone saving your life? I don't like to feel like I owe people things but I know in this situation it is different. All of the many people who helped us wanted to help and it's important that I learn to leave it at that. I know part of gratitude is being able to receive what others do for you and not having to feel "even steven" all the time. I hope that I can be used to help others and show my gratitude to a loving Heavenly Father in that way.
While I'm on the subject I need to give a hugeTHANK YOU to Dad and Mom and Ginger and Sam that helped us out so much. It was a relief to have Sam be the second person on the scene and have him provide support to me, Sami and Griff. He joked around with the kids and kept their minds off of what was really happening. He brought blankets to keep us warm and made sure we were taken care of. I can't imagine what Ginger was feeling in the car waiting for Sam to come back and report how we were. Even with their two cute babies in the car Ginger and Sam stuck around and made sure we were all taken care of and loaded their car with as much of our stuff as they could. It was so great to see Dad when he came up to accident sight and the look of relief on his face when he knew we were ok. He was great talking to the press and helping them to stay informed. Then having Mom and Ginger in the ambulance to be with my kids before I was able to get there was just huge. It was so good to see them when I came into the ambulance and the realization of what really happened started to sink in. Dad and Mom let us load into the back seat of their car with all of our bags piled on top of us as Dad drove us nice and carefully down the rest of the canyon to Tyler. Then of course I can't forget my Tyler that has been so kind and caring since we have been home. He has made sure that the kids and I are doing ok. When we got all settled into his car after the accident he said a prayer of thank you and told Heavenly Father how grateful he was to have his family back with him. The feeling of almost losing your entire family is something I hope I never have to experience. I'm so grateful for his worthiness of the Priesthood in our home and knowing that he is there for us whenever we need him. Thank you for the wonderful love and support of my family! How blessed I am to have all of you in my life for eternity. I love you all!
I definitely bawled through this post as I was supposed to be making dinner. I bet the truck driver loved receiving your letter and learning more about the people he helped that day. Truly such a blessing.
ReplyDeleteHeather, thankyou for this wonderful tribute to the people who helped you on that eventful day in December. As we were driving I saw the icy road and I thought I hope the kids are safe. Then as I looked at the truck on the side of the road and observed a green Avalon stuck under the tank, I thought oh no, that could be Heather. We pulled over and called you and there was no answer so we called Ginger and she didn't answer so I backed the car up towards the truck and Ginger called me back and said "that is Heather under the truck and Sam has talked to her and she says she is all right". I didn't have time to panick. When I walked up and you said your were OK I had a great feeling of relief. Yes, it was a miracle. A Gardian Angel tucked you into the only place that would save your lives or at least save you from more serious injury. Your car was constructed to withstand the pressure of sliding sideways for 200+ yards without coming apart. The truck driver brought the truck to a stop as quick as possible. There was an ER Doctor who came up first and offered help and the EMTs thank him and told him he wasn't needed. The Firemen and EMTs from the Unified Emergency services were proffessional and efficient. They all used great care in extracting Sami and Griff. As we sat with them in the ambulance they were calm and knew that you would be taken out of the car safely. I'll never forget looking out the back of the ambulance and here you came walking towards the ambulance all alone before the Trooper and EMT caught up with you. You were well and uninjured. What a miracle. Thankyou for your testimony and challenge to get busy and achieve what the Lord has in store for you and all of us. As I review my Patriaricle Blessing I see that most of it has been fulfilled, all except that part that says I will "see the time when the Savior shall come forth to fulfill his mighty and glorious purposes". I look forward to the day when "wickedness will fall and crumble". Thank you family for listening to the Holy Ghost and gaining your own witness of the truthfullness of the Restored Gospel and the Book of Mormon. What a wonderful outcome of a possible heart wrenching event. May the Lord bless all of you.
ReplyDeleteI just finished bawling my eyes out also. I am so grateful that we were able to be there to help in any way that we could. Bennett and Lottie were so good through all of it. I just happened to have a bottle made for Lottie in the car and a peanut butter sandwich that Bennett didn't eat the night before in the car so they were set for the few hours we were there. I have had all the what ifs going through my mind that I am trying to get rid of. It is crazy to think that things could have turned out so differently. I am just so grateful that things turned out the way they did. First coming around that corner and seeing your car under the semi truck just keeps flashing through my mind. There was just such an overwhelming amount of emotion in those first few moments. All scenarios were going through my mind. I was hoping for the best but trying to prepare myself if things were different. I was so glad when Sam came back to me to give me the news that you were all okay. We are so happy that we didn't lose you, Sami and Griff. We love you so much!! You guys were so great and so strong. I am sure this is a story that everyone that was there helping will continue telling because it truly was a miracle.
ReplyDeleteThat trucker was so amazing. I know he was placed in the right place at just the right time. I know that being a part of this miracle has been so life changing. I know that Heavenly Father does have a plan for all of us and I am so grateful that included having you here with us still.
I am so grateful that we live closer now also. It is so wonderful to be able to come to visit every few months. We love all the memories that we are making with the family. It is so fun that Bennett and Lottie are really getting to know everyone. Now we just need Cami and Kelly to get closer so we can see them more often.
I still think of how safe you all are. I know things happen for a reason. I am so glad I didn't have to lose another family member over the holidays. Sadie wrote and told me that maybe this was selfish but she felt the lord knew she couldn't handle losing you three, it would be to much. Love you!
ReplyDelete