FARMVILLE, Va. – A Central Virginia family is putting the worst day of their lives on display — literally. It’s being done to warn others of the consequences that can come from drinking and driving.
“I think with that one, I think a lot of it’s just very thankful that everyone was able to make it out,” Nathan Everson says. “Knowing that everyone that we had come out did everything that they could as well. There’s no reason that either of us should be here right now.”
For the first time in three months, Everson is getting an up-close look into the November night he and his Farmville family of three almost lost their lives.
He, his wife, Megan Gary, and their three-week-old baby, Avonlea, were riding in their Jeep in Bedford when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver at the end of last year.
When crews got to the scene, they had to use the jaws of life to pull the couple out. They were flown to a nearby hospital for their injuries and baby Avonlea was the only one who wasn’t hurt.
“The biggest goal is knowing we’ve done everything that we can do to take something that was a negative in our life and try to turn it into a positive,” Everson says.
It’s why they’ve put the jeep on display at the Randolph Volunteer Fire Department, where Everson works, to serve as a stark reminder of what can happen when someone drinks and drives.
“When the accident happened, I didn’t feel in control. I felt scared and like I didn’t know what was happening,” Gary says. “To put the car out here and doing what we want to do with it while trying to make a change makes me feel like I have a say again.”
While life is starting to get back to normal, they say they live with the consequences of that night every day. Even so, it feels like a second chance.
Megan and Nathan say they don’t know if it will make a difference. However, they say if it impacts even just one person, it’s worth it.
“Obviously, I want to make a change and impact someone else. Who I really want to impact is my daughter,” Gary says. “One day, I want her to see that her mom and dad didn’t give up, didn’t just walk away. We took this and we made it into something we thought might help the world.”
The couple adds they hope to someday take the Jeep all around and spread the word.
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