It was horrific, like something out of a movie, but this was real – it had snowed, hard and fast, and the roads became terribly hazardous, but everyone had no choice but to drive them to get home; the carnage began on a hill in front of a 19th century house.

Jim and Donna loved their house, even though it was on a major highway. It was a two-story white farmhouse that had lost its farmland to developers some time ago. The home had hardwood floors, pocket doors, built-ins and elaborate molding. On that day, a semi jack-knifed across the road.

Jim heard the crash of a car against the semi. Then another crash, and another. Donna put her hands over her ears at one point, the sounds were so loud. James heard yelling and screams of pain. He dressed in all the layers he had and went outside to help.

After the crashing stopped, there were twelve injured and two dead. How could an ambulance arrive? There was a man, a nurse, that seemed to be taking charge and he told a group of men which people could be moved. Jim told them to bring the injured inside his house.

Donna found their wooden sled and the men used it as a rescue sled to pull the injured into Jim’s house, one after another, laid onto blankets spread on the floors while a woman helped Donna tear sheets into strips to use as tourniquets and Jim gathered first aid items.

The ambulances arrived an hour later, traveling down the shoulder of the road to get to the injured, and when they left and the last of the injured was taken away, Jim and Donna, covered in blood, surveyed the bloody wreckage that was their home, shaking, both in shock.

Their little strip of highway made it into the national news that evening – there were 42 vehicles involved, a total of twelve souls perished and the injured count was at twenty-eight, while the snow kept falling, covering up the carnage, and the couple in the 19th century house began cleaning.

Whenever brakes were heard squealing, or crashing metal sounded from a fender bender, Jim and Donna would tense up, nerves shattered. “After what we have seen, we can never be who we were,” Jim said and soon the old house was sold and the couple was heading south, way south.

photo by me and Gemini

Copyright ©2026 Lisa Paul. All rights reserved.

Violet’s Challenge: This piece is written in 50-word increments. The literary quote I have chosen for this week is: “After what we have seen, we can never again be who we were.”― Gemma Liviero, Pastel Orphans. If you are inspired by this line- and would like to use it in your own creation, please do and link back to this post. 

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