By Brad Dison 

On Friday, Bert and Angie Hood were driving north on Hwy 155 from Saline. Just past Friendship, they passed a log truck which was driving about 35 to 40 miles per hour. As they neared Cox railroad crossing, they slowed to a stop for a passing train. They occupied the only car stopped on the south side of the railroad tracks.

Angie told Bert that they were having a run of bad luck because they had gotten stuck behind a slow log truck and then got stuck waiting on a passing train. Bert looked in his mirrors and said, “Oh my God, Oh my God.” He put the car in reverse and began backing up. Angie said she thought the train was going to blow up.

Then, the log truck they passed just minutes earlier passed them in the left lane and slammed into the train. The train dragged the truck to the left and all Angie could see was the trailer full of logs coming towards the driver’s side of their car. Angie screamed, “God please help us, God please help us!” She said “It seemed as if Bert could have rolled down his window and touched the logs. Wood debris and sap pounded the car, and we feared the worse would happen.

But God was there and said, not today. All three of us got out of our vehicles unharmed.” Bert and Angie’s car was not hit by the truck or the logs. The logs stayed on the trailer. Angie said, “We were all shaken and the driver kept saying that he just didn’t want to kill us so he hit the train. He hugged me and said he was sorry but his breaks went out. I told him that God was with us all. When we got home, I told Bert that our day was not so unlucky at all. Thank you, God!”

“God was there,” Angie said. His protection was there! Today could have been the last day that Bert, myself, and the driver of this truck ever spent on Earth. God had different plans.”