The Automobile Accident
10/04/07 11:34
There are many questions as to what happened in
the automobile accident. This is Francis' first
hand account of that accident.
I know there have been several questions as to
whether anyone remembered the accident, the one
which gave us Pop’s “appendix scar”. It appears
as though Trudy was in it also, we should
probably ask her as she is the only one alive who
can probably remember a lot of the details.
On April 18, 1965, Grandpa Francis wrote this:
“On a hot afternoon in June 1958, members of the Frant and Annie C. Esplin family were returning from visiting in Cedar City to be in Salt Lake for a reunion of their immediate family when, on a lonely stretch of road in Juab County, a bad wreck occurred involving only their car.
Kind passengers of other cars extricated the family members from their overturned car and gave what assistance they could, and fortunately, a doctor came along soon and gave first aid treatment to the injured.
Grandpa Esplin lay beside the road, bleeding and unconscious. Grandma, with a broken shoulder and ribs as well as multiple bruises, was trying to administer relief and comfort. Trudy, the new daughter-in-law from Germany who could neither speak or understand English, had received a broken toe on each foot so could only look on with great concern.
The mother, Laurel, mother of three girls, in spite of severe bruises was giving help and encouragement to everyone when her daughter, Gay Lynne, aged six, sought her and said, “Mama, let’s pray.” So they, with Valerie, aged three, who had received a severe bump on the head and a large abrasion on the side, seemed everywhere present, with baby Pamela, who was uninjured, knelt in the burning sun and prayed. First they gave thanks for all blessings, especially that things were no worse and supplicating our kind Heavenly Father for the welfare of the injured.
Gay Lynne then sought her Grandma and said, “Grandpa is going to get well. We prayed for him.”
After long hospitalization and skilled plastic surgery, Grandpa did get well (as did all the others) to enjoy working in the Church and to have great pleasure in the association of family and friends.”
On April 18, 1965, Grandpa Francis wrote this:
“On a hot afternoon in June 1958, members of the Frant and Annie C. Esplin family were returning from visiting in Cedar City to be in Salt Lake for a reunion of their immediate family when, on a lonely stretch of road in Juab County, a bad wreck occurred involving only their car.
Kind passengers of other cars extricated the family members from their overturned car and gave what assistance they could, and fortunately, a doctor came along soon and gave first aid treatment to the injured.
Grandpa Esplin lay beside the road, bleeding and unconscious. Grandma, with a broken shoulder and ribs as well as multiple bruises, was trying to administer relief and comfort. Trudy, the new daughter-in-law from Germany who could neither speak or understand English, had received a broken toe on each foot so could only look on with great concern.
The mother, Laurel, mother of three girls, in spite of severe bruises was giving help and encouragement to everyone when her daughter, Gay Lynne, aged six, sought her and said, “Mama, let’s pray.” So they, with Valerie, aged three, who had received a severe bump on the head and a large abrasion on the side, seemed everywhere present, with baby Pamela, who was uninjured, knelt in the burning sun and prayed. First they gave thanks for all blessings, especially that things were no worse and supplicating our kind Heavenly Father for the welfare of the injured.
Gay Lynne then sought her Grandma and said, “Grandpa is going to get well. We prayed for him.”
After long hospitalization and skilled plastic surgery, Grandpa did get well (as did all the others) to enjoy working in the Church and to have great pleasure in the association of family and friends.”