Earlier this month, Hunter Hanks and his girlfriend Arika Stovall were driving along a Tennessee road in his truck when their vehicle drifted off the road and struck a tree at 85 mph. What happened next is the talk of social media!According to a Facebook account written by Stovall, the accident happened in just three seconds, but it was enough time for Hunter to somehow manage to maneuver the truck in such a way that it struck the pillar in between him and Stovall. At 85 mph, the impact nearly cut the truck in half, and should have killed them both, but it obviously was not their time. They both survived with only minor injuries.
But that’s only the beginning of this miraculous story.
“While out of breath and trying to move my legs I was screaming..panicked...yelling for Hunter to just say something,” Stovall wrote about the frantic moments just after the crash. “I needed to know he was okay. Looking to the driver’s seat all I saw was his head through the windshield, a face full of blood, and a body that wasn't moving. I looked straight out the truck and there was a man . . . bright with a big white beard. No other cars in sight...just this man. He was my guardian angel. He saw me and immediately told me that an ambulance was coming.”
She got out of the truck by her own power and rushed around to Hunter’s side of the truck where the man with the white beard was standing.
Truck accidents happen everyday, and can have much more serious and consequential aftereffects than the average car accident. Perhaps you or a loved one were involved in a serious truck crash, and you may be have significant bills from emergency and ongoing medical treatment. In addition, you may also have lost wages due to the inability to work because of your truck accident injuries. In addition, maybe your car was a total loss, and other personal property may have been damaged. You may even need to have some help around the house just to do your normal activities for awhile. Who is going to pay for all of this?
Truck companies are regulated by different federal and state regulations than a person who is involved in an auto accident. As a victim with truck accident injuries, you may be not be dealing with an insurance company, but directly with the trucking company. A big rig accident can be quite serious for the company of the driver who was involved in the truck crash. Shortly after the truck crash, you may be contacted directly by the truck company and have an offer presented to you to settle out of court, without an insurance company being involved. Use caution, as this may be the worst thing to happen to you since the initial big rig accident. This is where the right truck accident lawyers can make all the difference in the world in helping you to receive the right compensation for your injuries from a big rig accident.
Your truck crash attorney will be able to conduct an investigation which will include witness statements, photographs of the accident scene, measurements of the car, truck and surrounding area. In addition, your truck accident attorney will file all of the paperwork necessary to help you file a truck crash settlement claim. It is the job of the truck accident lawyer to make sure that as a victim with truck accident injuries you receive the best medical care possible, and to build a case against the truck company.
Unfortunately, after a big rig accident, some drivers or company owners may not want to deal in a forthright manner with the victim who has suffered from truck accident injuries. One of the reasons for this is that oftentimes a contributing factor to the truck crash may involve improper maintenance of the rig, or violations of trucking regulations in addition to moving violations. Penalties to the owner of the company, in addition to the individual driver involved can be stiff, even resulting in large fines, and or limits on licenses. This is when a trucking company may try to cover up the violations and leave you stuck with large medical bills and no way to replace your vehicle. Don't settle with the trucking company by yourself, seek a qualified truck accident lawyer who will work o n your behalf for the settlement you are rightly entitled to.
“From that moment until Hunter was cut and lifted out of the truck I believe with my whole heart that looking at this man helped me to literally believe in that moment that Hunter was next to me on the road. I don’t know if it was a hallucination or me unconsciously dreaming or a glimpse of heaven...but all I knew in that moment was that Hunter was safe . . .”
And he was. After being cut out of the truck, he came to his girlfriend’s side just as she asked the strange man when the ambulance was coming.
“He told me in just a second. He walked away, I blinked and a flashlight was in my face. The paramedics were there helping me and Hunter and the anxiety and worry if he was okay disappeared because we were in good hands.”
Later, while being treated in the emergency room, Hunter managed to get off his gurney long enough to come to Arika’s side, take her hand and just stand there gazing lovingly down upon her, reveling in the fact that she was still alive. The photo has since gone viral.
Even more miraculous, the two sustained only minor injuries in a crash that should have killed them instantly. Even their belongings were safe.
“All of our belongings in perfect condition besides a few things here and there . . . and the only thing left behind at the crash scene is Hunters bible open, with a page marked with scripture telling us to not be afraid; Jesus is with us.”
This powerful story has taken social media by storm, buoying the faith of believers and drawing skepticism from atheists.
As Hemant Mehta wrote for Patheos, “Nice job, God. You spun the truck so the pole smashed it in the middle. Somehow, with all your power, you still couldn’t avoid the pole entirely. So much for omnipotence.”
But his ridicule got no traction by an event that was so spectacularly miraculous.
As Stovall writes: “I'm overwhelmed at how little damage was done to Hunter and I in a wreck that should have chopped our bodies in half. I'm in awe of the presence of God in this entire situation. Every part of this experience we went through points directly to Him. The way God helped Hunter to respond exactly the way he did behind the wheel, spinning the truck exactly where it should have to be able to smash into the pillar directly in the middle of me and Hunter so we were both untouched...that doesn't just happen. God doesn't throw protection around like that for no reason. He does it because he's not finished with us.”
Even the famous psychiatrist, Dr. Keith Ablow, was so impressed by the story, and the picture of Hanks and Stovall, that he wrote: “What else allowed Hanks to stop thinking as his truck spun out of control and start moving his hands and feet and eyes and hands, automatically, to navigate the road so that the pillar that bisected their vehicle missed both driver and passenger? Go looking for that on an MRI or an EEG. You won’t find it. Ever. Not even when science has progressed beyond subatomic particles. Because it cannot be seen or understood fully by our minds, only by our hearts."
He concluded: "I see much evidence of the workings of God in Stovall’s story. And I am a physician. I am a scientist.”
No amount of naysaying will convince Hunter and Stovall of anything but the truth about what happened that fateful day.
“If there's anything you read out of this novel I'm typing up here it's this: I want everyone to know the love and the power of God. He has a purpose...and it's so clear that NOTHING...not even a car accident like this one will cause his plans for you to change.
“We are put on this beautiful earth for a reason and the reason is to help people know Him. We are made to show and share His love. And if it takes a car wreck like this for me to get to do that then I would do it all over again.”
Her hope is that everyone who gets a glimpse of still story will realize God’s faithfulness.
“He is GOOD. And working. And the plans he has for YOU and your life aren't going anywhere. Good or bad, what you want or what you don't want...it's God's doing. It's his plans unfolding. It's his kingdom coming. Embrace the struggles and the joys of this life! Without a doubt it's a miracle we're alive, but more than that it's simply Gods plan for us. We're so grateful for this wreck and all it will do in our lives. We are blessed to be okay. And so in love with the amazing God we serve.”
© All Rights Reserved, Living His Life Abundantly®/Women of Grace® http://www.womenofgrace.com
