They honked to get help...

but nobody heard!

They careened off the newly plowed country road and slid down the steep embankment.  They were wedged backwards between the trees.

They tried honking the horn to attract attention but nobody stopped.

Because nobody heard. 

I hadn’t wanted to go out that morning.  Mainly because we hadn’t plowed our farm road. It’s a half mile to the county road.   

But since I was supposed to bring the treats for a Bible study at the little church on the prairie down the road, my husband Paul said he’d drive.  

Besides we had just gotten snow tires on our car and now we could test them out!

After reaching the main road, Paul saw tire tracks skidding off to the side.  

I hadn’t been paying attention because we were late and I just wanted to stay warm and get there.   I was on the passenger side of the car and replied that I hadn’t seen anything off the road.  And the wind was already covering up the marks with snow.

Maybe it had happened a while ago and was already taken care of.

But I also recalled that we had just passed a steep drop off on that side of the road.    So you probably wouldn’t notice any thing as you were going by.

 As we drove, Paul mentioned the tracks again and I, for some unknown reason, said: “If we don’t turn around and there’s been an accident we won’t forgive ourselves the rest of our lives.”    That thought sounded awfully dramatic - even to me!  Where did it come from?

Paul found another road with space to turn around.

As we drove back he maneuvered the car closer to the edge and I was shocked to see a pickup truck down the steep incline.

It must have spun completely around and was wedged backwards among the trees and facing uphill.

Paul stopped our car and I got out.  I was trying to see if there were any bodies but I couldn’t see down into the windshield.

I asked Paul if we had a rope in the car so I could climb down the bank.  We didn’t.

Then a person got out the passenger side and called up to me warning me not to try to come down to them because there was ice under the snow.

I asked if they were hurt and they replied, No.

I asked if they had a cell phone and they said yes, but it wasn’t working.

I called 911.

We got a little concerned when the woman called up to me that the driver was feeling pressure on his chest.  But this was apparently due to his seat being tipped back and he was laying half way upside down!  He was good.

The folks wanted to stay in their pickup.  They could turn on the heat and stay warm.

I was amazed at how their pickup looked perfectly placed in the brush right next to a tree.  

Fifteen minutes or so later a deputy showed up and took over.  He didn’t need a rope to climb down to them.  

But I did suggest that he should wear a cap in the cold weather - that’s a Grandma routine, I think! - but he said he didn’t need that either.  

Anyway, the folks were towed out of there with little damage to their truck.

And Iola and Dave Engelmann had the opportunity to enjoy another Holiday Season together.

    Looking down at the pickup almost hidden in the brushy ravine off county road 24 about 2 1/2 miles west of Highway 52 it was easy to see how it was missed from the road.   The 2007 Chevy Colorado 4X4 careened off the icy county road down into a ravine before the Christmas holidays.