By P Chong                                                                       Tuesday, 12 January 2010

Such accident may cause permanent paralysis to the victim!

It’s strange sometimes how you wake up in the middle of night & have that urge to write & testify to the glory of God. According to my recorded memory, it was the year 1992, December 10 when I penned the following testimony:

“It’s three-thirty in the morning. It will be another hour or so before daybreak. Everybody is sound asleep – peace & quiet reign. I just hope that the noise of my old-faithful Olivetti Lettera 32 type-writer will be sufficiently quiet as not to stir or cause any undue awakening.”

Sleep was much needed after the evening drama we had with our second son Andrew. I had gone to bed before twelve that night, so did everyone else. Undoubtedly, the worry . . . the anxiety as well as the relief & joy drained us all. I slept soundly the moment I hit the pillow, but somehow by about three in the morning I could sleep no more. I guessed the good Lord wanted me to record this dramatic testimony in His glory.

With peace & quiet around, I started to type:

“Last night’s drama certainly had the hand of God in it. The sight of our wrecked Toyota Corolla at the panel-beater’s workshop in Maddington would conjure in the mind of the most horrific of the accident. There could not have been any survivor by the look of the wreck . . . caved-in roof, smashed windscreen & window of the front passenger’s side, the front bumper & bonnet all bashed & twisted, missing back screen, damaged left back door & left tail-end. The car in a word was a complete write-off.

It was after work at Alcoa in Jarrahdale mine site, Andrew taking a short-cut was driving through a dirt track along Anketell Road, when doing about 100km/h he felt the tail of the car swerving. Naturally he tried to slow down & instinctively applied on the brakes. The car however skidded to the right and veered off the track hitting the side bush & shrubs. Everything happened in split seconds. All of a sudden there was this dark tall pillar in the path of the out-of-control vehicle, it hit, and the car surging forward . . . vision seemed to blur and darken on the outside . . . his mind filled with thoughts of disbelief of the happening. The next thing came the realisation that the car was flipping over and ultimately came to rest.

Andrew, fortunately conscious & still holding on to the steering wheel, strapped to the seat by the safety-belt, was suspended upside-down! After the initial shock, he tried to open the car door but it was jammed. Fearing any danger of explosion he turned off the engine and the radio which was filling the air with sweet sound of music from Sonshine FM. Undoing the safety-belt, then winding down the window, he crawled out & miraculously found himself without a scratch! He had not quite realised the seriousness of the accident until he saw the turtle position of the car.

It was amazing. Not a scratch could be found on his body, though the car was in a wreck-beyond-salvage condition. Praise the Lord. Go was surely riding with him. The car was not comprehensively insured, but thank God Andrew was safe & sound.

The guy who picked him up & gave him a lift to the nearest Caltex service station at the junction of Nicholson & Thomas Road said surprisingly, “You’re so lucky to be alive!”

Yes indeed!

It was not just luck. God’s hand was upon Andrew.

Praise His holy name on high!

(Andrew was at that time on a “work experience”with Alcoa. The Company refused any form of compensation).