Maddie's Summer Vacation

It had been eight long years of struggling and saving pennies, nickles and dimes but Leo was finally able to take the love of his life Angie and their five children on a real vacation.

Every year since Jon had been born, money had been too tight just keeping food, clothing and a roof for them all to do more than camp in the back yard, swim in the community pool, and picnic at the local park come summer vacation time.

Relaxed and singing along with the radio, the entire family was mesmerized by the beauty of the Mississippi highway lined for miles and miles by magnificent magnolia trees. The kids couldn't get over the sweet smell in the air permeated by the scent of honeysuckle growing wild amidst the trees in the wooded areas.

Everyone had reveled in the amazement of Jacob, the four year old, as his eyes became bigger and bigger when he glimpsed live deer, opossum, and raccoons.

"Wow Dad! We could live here. It's a real deer," Jacob couldn't contain his excitement and it was contagious. Laughter filled the shiny candy apple red Tahoe as it made it's way toward the culturally rich deep south state of Louisiana.

"Watch out Dad!" Jacob screamed. "It's Ricky Raccoon!"

Leo glanced in the rear view mirror, not seening another vehicle, and in an instant swerved to miss the unknowing raccoon as it ambled into the highway.

With a sharp intake of breath, Leo realized too late the top-heavy vehicle couldn't be controlled. The left front wheel touched soft dirt on the side of the road and was immediately catapulted end over end down the steep twenty foot straight down median.

Screams of terror filled the air as the vehicle rested wheels in the air against one of the magnolias that had seconds ago seemed so majestic. Just as quick silence, deafening silence, followed.

Fourteen year old Madelyn regained consciousness enough to realize what had happened.

"Dad. Mom. Say something. Are you okay? Mommie, I hurt really bad. My arm is broken I think. Mom!!"

Tears coursed down her young terrified cheeks. Her attempt to get out of the overturned SUV was an impossible task with her injuries. She felt dizzy. Think Maddie. Phone. Cell phone.

Maddie dialed 9-1-1 but was all but useless to the sweet sounding dispatcher in her efforts to find where the accident had happened.

"I don't know where we are," Maddie whimpered. Her voice filled with intense panic and fear she continued, "I can't get Dad, Mom or my brothers and sister to answer me. It is really bad."

"It's alright. My name is Venora and I will find you. Can you remember the last thing you saw as far as buildings, stores, truck stops?" the dispatcher coaxed.

"A truck stop," Maddie remembered, "and a place called Lake. I thought that was an unusual name for a place, but it sounds so peaceful."

Maddie lost consciousness again. She barely knew when the stream of ambulances and highway patrol vehicles arrived even though sirens were screaming loud enough to be heard for miles.

In a haze, she realized she was being loaded into a medical helicopter before being swallowed by darkness again, pain ripping her body apart.

Medical personnel scurried and stopped with medical assistance to all but the Mother and her five children arriving minutes apart via ambulances and helicopters from the worst accident the area had seen in years.
All the victims had sustained life threatening spinal injuries. Leo had died and Angie was given only a fifty percent chance of pulling through.

As she was rolled by gurney to the operating room Maddie knew she would remember and live for years with the doctor's words echoing, " For this family, nothing will ever be the same.

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