Official Ares Free Download

Most of the time, such small choices have little consequence.

But on the morning of Feb. 3, 2009 when a blinding snowstorm triggered one of the biggest highway crashes Indiana has ever seen, small choices were the difference between life and death.

Snow and speed were blamed for the massive pileup on I-69, which involved 34 vehicles and took two lives. But what dictated who lived and who died often was much, much more mundane.

The choice between driving your wife’s car with the good tires or taking yours with the bald ones.

Sticking to your usual route to the interstate, or a short, unplanned detour.

Crawling back into bed with your wife.

Or getting on the road . . . toward mile marker 8.

Eager for work

Ivy Phillips asked her husband, Ryan, to come back to bed that morning.

It was cold in Anderson. Snow was in the forecast. And it wasn’t clear there would be any work for Ryan anyway. Just the day before, his boss had sent him home. With construction sluggish, the demand for people who lay fiber optic cable has been spotty.

But Ryan, 28, and Ivy, 23, needed the money. Married a little more than a year, they had four kids. They’d been dreaming of saving up to buy a home. And they needed a bigger car to haul their newly blended family. If there was work to be had, Ryan wanted it.

So Ryan made his choice. He leaned over the bassinette and kissed 5-month-old Charlee. Then he kissed Ivy and turned for the door. He turned back — more than once — for another kiss and another goodbye. Ryan was a guy who needed reassurance.

Just the night before, as they lay in bed, Ryan had grown nervous that the happiness might end. He had asked: “Are you sure you want to be with me for the rest of my life?”

“Yeah,” Ivy replied, she would love him the rest of his life.

Related Articles

 Enjoyed this? Subscribe to the feed.