Give Yourself the Best Odds

At Michigan Insurance Group we pride ourselves in providing insurance which protects you and your family financially. Today, however, I want to discuss protecting you and your family physically.  

Travelling home on New Year’s Day from Midland, MI we hit terribly icy roads going South on 131.  Everyone was driving very slowly and we had passed at least 4 cars which had slid into the ditch.  My husband was driving our mini-van with our two girls in the backseat and our little dog in his bed between them. In a split second we saw the car in front of us slide from the right lane into the left and then pitch dramatically right into the ditch, rolling into a tree. It was terrifying. 

We pulled up next to the car and all I could see in the dark was the driver’s door open and a leg hanging out.  Once we stopped, my husband ran, slipping and sliding, over to the vehicle and I called 911. I rolled down my window. I could see the driver was out of the car talking to my husband. 

My most vivid memory of the incident however, was a little girl screaming and crying and walking up to my husband. She was six. All the windows had been shattered out of their car, and the front passenger side was completely crushed from hitting the tree. I yelled to my husband to bring her to our car to get warm. I heard him ask her if he could pick her up and her little arms shot up towards him answering yes. She sobbed the 20 feet to our car and our girls opened their door and reached for her. When she saw my daughters the crying almost instantly stopped. My eight year old held her in a big fleece blanket on her lap and my 12 year old offered her gum.  She said her name was Mia. My girls watched Kung Fu Panda on our van’s DVD player and we sat patiently as she rewould it over and over to a scene in the movie that made her laugh.  

About 20 minutes later, first responders were there demanding that we get off the side of the road, because it was too dangerous to be there. The little girl’s father pulled her from the backseat to put her in a waiting car that would drive them to Grand Rapids, and Mia started sobbing again. My girls and I felt awful that she had to leave us. When my husband got back in the car and we began to drive away, I asked him what he thought happened. 

Michigan weather, Grand Rapids, icy highway, icy roads, snowy roads

He responded that, Mia and her Father were very blessed that icy winter night and had done most things “right”.  They had been wearing seat belts, Mia had been in the backseat, and he was able to avoid any other cars while he slid into the ditch.  One major disadvantage he had, my husband explained, was that his tires were almost completely bald. 

It doesn't matter how far you plan to go; before you leave please, take a look at the wear on your tires today. You can slide on icy roads with new tires, but if possible, give yourself the best odds with tires that have a good tread.  



Written by Sarah Kallio
Licensed Insurance Agent

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