A family in Michigan is thanking their lucky stars – and a series of fortunate coincidences – after their car was totaled in a crash early in the morning on New Year's Day.
Nate and Kathleen Ayers, of Fruitport Township, Michigan, along with their children Gideon, 3, and Gwen, 11 weeks, were driving home from a combination Christmas/New Year's Eve party at about 1:30 a.m. on New Year's Day when a car in the opposite lane suddenly hopped the median, slamming into their car.
"We had just left my parents' house, where we were combining a celebration of Christmas and New Years since we hadn't been able to get together on Christmas as usual due to my having COVID," Nate Ayers told Fox News Digital in an interview.
"I was the only one to see (the other car) coming," he said.
Nate was driving at the time, and his wife was talking on her phone with her brother-in-law, he said.
And although the roads were somewhat empty given the early-morning hours, help soon arrived – at first, in the form of a pair of strangers who happened to be driving by.
"We were on the side of the road and next thing I know, they were right there," said Kathleen Ayers to Michigan's broadcast station Fox 17. "I just remember her rocking Gwen while I had Gideon. [She kept] her distracted and answered his questions."
In addition to the "guardian angel" couple, other members of the Ayers family were made aware of the accident due to modern technology and were quickly able to come help them out, Nate Ayers said.
While Kathleen was on the phone with her brother-in-law during the crash itself, the call was disconnected pun impact.
The crash-detection feature on her iPhone immediately notified her emergency contacts and prompted her to call 911. And while her brother-in-law was not one of those contacts, he was nearby and was quickly on the scene.
"(Kathleen's brother-in-law) was the first family member to arrive because he could see the police flashers from where he was, and when Kathleen called him back after we got off the phone with 911, he realized that was us, and that was why the line had gone dead," Nate Ayers said.
His mom arrived not long after.
"Shortly after that, my mom Karen called because she had gotten the SOS and wanted to know what was going on – when she heard what had happened, she jumped in the car and was there within minutes," he explained.
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Miraculously, there were no serious injuries in the crash. Initially, the Ayers' said they feared the worst after the crash when neither child was crying or making noises.
In another stroke of luck, both children were completely fine: Gwen slept through the crash, and Gideon just wanted to know what had happened.
"The kids have shown no signs of any sort of physical injuries, but our three-year-old Gideon is quite sad that ‘the new car is broken’ and keeps asking why it broke," Nate Ayers said.
In the chaos of the crash, the Ayers did not get the names of that first couple to show up and comfort them. Kathleen took to social media to try to find them.
On Jan. 2, Kathleen Ayers posted a description of the pair in a Facebook group, asking if anyone knew who they were. Within 15 minutes, she had her answer: their names were Catherine Kloska and David Sumner.
Both Kloska and Sumner downplayed their actions in comments to Fox 17.
"I really think it’s something that anybody, I would think most people would stop and help out," Sumner told the outlet.
Kloska said she was just trying to help out someone in a situation she was familiar with.
"I’ve been in an accident before with my own daughter and I know that feeling inside - you’re scared, you’re shaking, you’re nervous, you’re trying to concentrate and think of things, so if someone could help me when that situation happened, I’m going to help somebody else out too," she said.
"I’ve been in an accident before with my own daughter and I know that feeling inside - you’re scared, you’re shaking, you’re nervous, you’re trying to concentrate and think of things, so if someone could help me when that situation happened, I’m going to help somebody else out too," she said.
The families have since met up, and plan to stay in contact.
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"It was wonderful getting to properly meet them, and sit and talk not just about that night, but our lives and families," Nate Ayers said, noting they "stayed and talked for quite a while," and that Catherine played games with Gideon.
"I'm sure we'll meet again - we've talked about going for ice cream in a few months so they can see how big the kids are getting," he also said.
Authorities are still unsure as to why the car that hit the Ayers crossed into their lane. Alcohol was not detected in the driver's system, and it remains under investigation, Nate Ayers said.
Going forward, Ayers said that while there was some apprehension about driving by the location of the crash, both he and his wife are "healing nicely" from their bumps and bruises.
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The two have a renewed appreciation for life and loved ones.
"We'd also like to encourage everyone to hug their loved ones, tell them how much you care, and appreciate the time you get to spend with them – it only takes a split second for tragedy to strike," said Nate Ayers.
"I know we were incredibly blessed to be able to walk away from ours with nothing but a few cuts, bumps, bruises, and bad memories."
