RADFORD, Va. (WDBJ/Gray News) - A family of four in Virginia says they are lucky to be alive after they were involved in a crash with two semitrucks.
Heather Ratcliffe and her three daughters were on the way home from a softball tournament in Connecticut last Saturday afternoon.
When they got to the Abingdon area while traveling on Interstate 81, Ratcliffe says their lives flashed before their eyes.
“I noticed a tractor-trailer coming southbound had lost control and was starting to come over into the median. But I wasn’t expecting it to come all the way across,” she said.
The truck ended up going into the opposite side of the interstate and slamming into Ratcliffe’s vehicle. Seconds later, another semitruck smashed the family’s car from behind.
Ratcliffe said she was in a state of shock after the collision while making sure her children were OK.
“Others stopped on the interstate and helped us get the kids out but one was trapped,” Ratcliffe said.
Her 11-year-old daughter Makenzie was stuck in the back seat for about 30 minutes.
Makenzie has a puncture wound in her leg but luckily expected any further injuries.
According to the Virginia State Police, everyone involved in the crash was wearing a seat belt and expected to survive.
Authorities said the driver of the truck who came across the median faces a reckless driving charge.
“There are fears of getting in vehicles now. We’re going to have to try to get back on the road to recovery, but it’s going to take a while,” Ratcliffe said.
The family said the recovery process has been helped by all the love they have received from the Radford community since they’ve been home.