18-year-old Harvey Shelton of North Little Rock, Arkansas was eager and excited for that days ceremony, when he would be accomplishing the goal of graduating Maumelle High School.
Yet just a few hours before it was to commence...
Said Harvey, "I was driving on my way home, coming from my family that visited me to come congratulate me on graduating.
I was driving behind this white Jeep. They had swerved out of the lane at the last moment. I saw a semi-truck with caution lights on. I tried to get out of the way and couldn't get out of the way in time."
Indeed the white jeep was able to just get out of harms way, but within a few seconds, the front of his own car was crushed by the 18- wheeler, pinning Harvey underneath parts of the drivers side which in itself was mostly underneath the semi.
"The whole front was caved in on my legs. I really couldn’t feel my legs at all, "recalled Harvey.
As he began to realize at what just happened, he started to panic.
But then as he did so, he felt a cool hand hold onto his own.
And a voice from whom he refers to as his ‘guardian angel.’
Harvey's dad, Harvey Sr., and his step-mom Mauzie, were driving to the ceremony when they got a phone call and heard the news.
Said his father, “It went from the happiest day to the scariest day it’s been a lot.”
Said Mauzie, “I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t even want to think. I immediately just started praying in my head. I was just looking out the window as he was driving and just saying ‘God, let him be okay.' When I got in there, immediately just gave him all kinds of kisses. He was like ‘Mauzie!’ and I said, ‘I’m here, I’m here. We are all here. Everybody is coming in.' I was just filled with so much gratitude at that moment that God had spared his life.
He said he was scared, couldn't breathe, holding his hands out the window asking for help.
And out of nowhere a voice said 'I got you, and will wait with you till help arrives' and he held his hand, keeping him calm."
Said Harvey, “First, I was kind of dazed, didn’t know what really happened and yelled for help. He grabbed my hand and said 'I am here. I am going to stay here until the fire department gets here.' He just kept saying 'I am here. I am praying for you. They will be here soon.'
The man never let go and never stopped reassuring the scared young man.
All the while, not ten feet away from the pair, gasoline was heavily leaking.
Eventually, First- Responders... in this case Second- Responders… were on scene and it took an hour to extricate, triage and transport Harvey to the hospital, where the cars safety features truly worked, as he was left with relatively minor injuries including receiving 40 stitches for a large laceration on his leg.
And the man quietly and alone... left.
Mauzie took to social media to find him.
To the man named Darrell,
This might be a long shot but our son Harvey Shelton was in an accident somewhere between 8:30-9am this morning right off the Military Drive exit, in North Little Rock, we were notified about 10:45 when he had made it to the hospital and was deemed to be in good enough condition to make the call.
While he was pinned in his vehicle with no way out from under the 18 wheeler, He said he was scared, couldn’t breathe, holding his hands out the window asking for help. And out of nowhere a voice said I got you, and will wait with you till help arrives and you held his hand, keeping him calm.
Darrell is a white man, mid-late 40 to early 50s, with reddish hair 🤷🏾♀️, wearing a blue company shirt, name outlined in red.
Our son Harvey and we would like to thank you for your unconditional compassion. You didn’t have to stop, you didn’t have to wait, and you didn’t have to hold his hand so he wouldn’t be alone but you did! And for that we will be forever grateful.
Y’all our baby was alone and afraid, and someone took the time to be there when we couldn’t.
He would love it if he could say thank you in person. So if our friends could share this post we would appreciate it very much!
A few weeks went by, and Maumelle High School showed great kindness and a lot of class for giving Harvey what he had missed…. a graduation ceremony of his own.
And for his good friend, whose name I couldn’t discover, who had immediately left the graduation ceremony so she could be by Harvey’s side in the hospital.
Said Harvey, "Everybody here to just see me walk the stage for even a few seconds. It feels really surreal and I'm blessed. I love them all for coming and showing up.”
And there, when Harvey turned to his parents after receiving his diploma… was his guardian angel.
And after hugging his parents and family… was one he’s been waiting to do for awhile now.
Many here would see the name of Arkansas and see a picture of Darrell, and make a judgement call based on preconceptions.
Which many times are nothing more than misconceptions.
At least in my own case, they are usually always misconceptions. YMMV.
Said Mauzie, speaking for their grateful family, “For him and for us, it was definitely a wake-up call to life. You know, it was not promised and he got another chance. We are just grateful for that and I think that he is going to take every opportunity to make it the best.”
Harvey plans on joining the National Guard and attending South Arkansas University.
And is grateful for the opportunity.
And for his ’angel’.
Please consider following this link to watch the video that I was unable to embed, which shows the state of the car whilst Darrell was comforting Harvey, the fuel leaking, etc and the graduation for and with his loyal friend. www.kark.com/…
As for Darrell… after giving each one of the family another hug, saving the last for another one with Harvey, he made sure the new graduate had his contact information, and once more, quietly and alone… left.
( Please remember if you feel yourself upset by the beliefs expressed, that 97% of Black American adults identify with belief of God or a higher power.
I can only surmise even more so in the South.
www.pewresearch.org/…
And that eventually, I have found, Harvey and his family and Darrell and his family will eventually read this including all the comments.
We want nothing but good things for Harvey, his family, Darrell and his, and for each other.
To each their own.
I’ll delete this section/plea/request tomorrow.
Thank you. )