24 Jul 2013

Rachel’s Car Crash and our Baby

Blog 12 Comments

17 Weeks Pregnant

Many of you know that my wife Rachel is 17 weeks pregnant with our first baby.

 

We share the belief that community service work is very important. This Sunday morning Rachel had a commitment to do some community service work which required her to travel form our home in Oceanside to meet a friend in La Mesa,  about a one hour drive. From La Mesa she and a couple of our friends drove all the way out to El Centro. This took another couple of hours.

 

She said “It was a beautiful drive and we had so much fun on the way there”. They did a couple of hours worth of community service work and then jumped in the car to head back.

Near Death Experience 

During the drive back they encountered a torrential downpour of rain. Visibility was low and they could barely see the car ahead of them. They came over a hill and encountered a large pool of water. The vehicle hydroplaned at about 60mph. It began spinning in circles on the interstate.

 

The SUV careened off the side of the road and flipped. Rachel is uncertain if the vehicle only rolled once or rolled several times since she closed her eyes prior to impact. Air bags deployed. The front windshield, rear windshield, and sun roof shattered. The vehicle slid on the roof over several boulders and finally crashed upside down in a ditch several hundred yards from where it originally spun off the road.

 

My wife and our friends were suspended upside down by their seatbelts. Disoriented and hindered by airbags they were unable to get out of the vehicle. Fortunately, passing motorists stopped to help them and got them out of the car. All three of them made it out and waited by the side of the road in pouring rain for emergency personnel to come. They were examined and, urged to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Worried about the Baby

The car was eventually righted and put on a tow truck. Soaked through, my wife and 2 friends hitched a ride in the tow truck to a nearby mall where family came to get them.

 

Given that she is pregnant, we were worried about the potential harm to our baby. She was experiencing cramping, and had some bruises on her abdomen from the seatbelt. We went to the Emergency Room.

 

They examined her first, checking for fractures, a head injury, etc. Finally they checked the baby’s heartbeat….they found it. Still, they wanted to take blood and observe Rachel for a few hours. In the end we were not released until 10:30pm about 5 hours later. They also stated we should see her doctor first in the morning.

 

The next morning Rachel got in to see her OBGYN. He did an ultrasound and what we saw was astounding. The placenta undamaged and the baby VERY active! Somersaults, twists, stretches, kicks- it actually looked like the baby scratched its head and gave us a thumbs up. The doctor said that was a great sign, and though he wanted Rachel to take a few days of rest, he felt confident that the baby was fine. Then the baby turned and we saw….. We’ll it’s definitely a boy.

A Miracle

It was amazing to think that not only had everyone survived such a violent crash, but that the baby made it as well.

 

When things like this happen you can look at them several ways. How could something this terrible happen? OR What a miracle everyone, my baby included walked away!

 

None of us are going to make it out of this world alive. Today I am really grateful for the time I get to spend with my wife. I am grateful for my upcoming baby boy. I am grateful I am not waking up panicked and devastated. I am grateful that I am NOT in bed alone.

Johnny

#grateful #miracle #car accident #baby boy
PhotosBooth_ItsABoy

12 Responses to “Rachel’s Car Crash and our Baby”

  1. violet says:

    Psalms 75:1
    We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks to you!
    We proclaim how great you are
    and tell of the wonderful things you have done.

  2. Laura Feinstein says:

    So grateful! So excited!

  3. Rene Rehmel says:

    So happy everyone is okay. Congrats Johnny Yakubik and Rachel on having a baby boy! So excited for you!

  4. Leslie Gallegos Villegas Hoke says:

    everyone in that car, including your son had a guardian angel watching over them. Congrats on having a son!!

  5. Leslie Hoke says:

    Johnny, that is an amazing story and very well written. We wish you and Rachel a wonderful full pregnancy and delivery of your soon to be here son. We are so glad to hear that everyone was able to walk away from that accident.

    Congratulations from jim and I.

  6. Monica Mittleman says:

    Omg, I had no idea, congrats and I am so happy all is well. Thank you for sharing this journey with us. Xoxo m

  7. Johnny Yakubik says:

    Thanks Mike from over here it looks like you’re doing a pretty good job yourself. The fact that Evan is a RUSH fan is clear evidence of that.

  8. Megan Koop says:

    Congrats on the boy!!!

  9. Scott Roth says:

    Thank God Rachel and your baby boy are good. Wow! What an experience!

  10. Joelene Moore says:

    OMG! I’m so glad she’s and the baby are ok! Why do you always make me cry Johnny! I was crying and sweating with nervousness as I was reading the story and it truly is amazing that everyone was ok☺. I hope to see you guys soon and get to rub her little belly!

  11. Stacy Van Ost says:

    Awwwww ya a baby boy so glad everyone was OK.

  12. Mike Goldberg says:

    Wow, I am glad Rachel and the baby are OK. Congrats on the boy! Parenthood is so amazing. And you – you’re going to be a great dad.

    Most important part of being a parent: keeping your sense of humor. Kids are hilarious. You’ll see.

    I’m so excited for you. Let me know if you need anything, bro.

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