whitney pastorek

On the left shoulder of the NB lanes, I saw a woman cradling a small child in her arms. Two women from the SB lanes came running with blankets they had pulled from their cars. A man ripped off his hoodie and threw it towards her. More people were stopping and getting out.

Because I was about 15 cars back in the same lane as the flipped car, I couldn’t see it. I could just see dozens of people, trying to help.

I knew it was bad. Up ahead of us, the highway was completely empty. No cars had passed the vehicle. No one was moving.

Slowly, we started inching forward, merging to the right. As I got closer, I could see more. Two men had stopped their vehicles in the NB lanes, turned on their hazards, and were now out of their cars, standing in the middle of the highway, directing traffic.

Literally just two dudes wearing Saturday casual clothing, in the middle of I-75, calmly directing 18-wheelers on when to merge. I realized they had made a barricade with their cars to help protect the overturned van and the people surrounding it.

When I got closer, I could finally see around the stopped cars and get a better sense of what was going on. Flipped minivan. Family still inside. An imam had stopped his vehicle and was opening the trunk. A dozen people had their hands on the flipped car, looking inside.

The woman with the child was now sitting on the shoulder of the highway. The child was wrapped in blankets, and she was stroking its forehead. They were surrounded by other women. Everyone was so calm.

When I reached one of the men directing traffic, I rolled down my window and asked if they needed any more help. He said no, that they were pretty well covered, there was a nurse on the scene. In the distance, I finally heard sirens approaching.