The snow was piling up like crazy. There was so much on the ground, I didn’t know how we could see anything.

My friends and I were going to a Michigan basketball game in late January, and it almost turned out to be the most costly game ever. It was on a Saturday afternoon against Wisconsin so Friday night, two friends stayed at my house so we could leave early for Ann Arbor.

During the night, we got 10 inches of snow but we had been looking forward to this game for a long time and weren’t going to let that stop us. My mom didn’t really approve, but she said we could go. I don’t know how we managed to avoid getting into an accident because it was difficult to see even three feet ahead.

Arriving an hour and a half before tip-off, we walked around and enjoyed the arena. It was a pretty close game, but then it was ruined by a Michigan loss. We left the stadium, got in my mom’s van and headed north back to Saginaw.

The roads looked just like they do on a nice summer day, so we figured we had nothing to worry about. We were talking and having a good time. Then, our lives changed forever. Just as one of my friends laid down in the back seat for a nap, we hit a patch of black ice. I could tell that I was losing control. My eyes got huge and Zach asked if I was okay. I shook my head. Then we started to spin; when we finally stopped turning, we were headed straight toward the divider in the middle of the freeway at 50 m.p.h.

At that point, I seriously thought it was our time to go. The whole time we were spinning I was moving the steering wheel every which way to try to regain control, but nothing worked. I figured there was nothing I could do as we headed for the concrete divider, but somehow, with the help of God, just a couple feet before it, I spun the steering wheel to the left and the van jerked to the left, went on two wheels, but didn’t flip. I will never know how it stayed upright. Then the van came back down on all four wheels.

We were in the middle of the second lane facing a field. As we came to a stop, a car behind us hit the same patch of ice, hit the railing and went into a ditch.

Zach, Jimmy and I have been completely changed since that day. I can honestly tell you that we do not take things for granted any more, and every time we get into a vehicle in the winter, the memory of “The Drive Home” is in the back of our minds.