Nate and Kathleen Ayers and their children, 3-year-old Gideon and 11-week-old Gwen, were headed home from a family Christmas and New Year’s party when they faced what could have been an absolute disaster.
The family, from Fruitport Township, Michigan, was on the mostly empty road at around 1:30 a.m. when Nate Ayers realized they were about to get hit.
Fortunately, good Samaritans were able to step in and help alleviate the chaotic aftermath.
“We had just left my parents’ house, where we were combining a celebration of Christmas and New Year’s since we hadn’t been able to get together on Christmas as usual due to my having COVID,” Nate Ayers told Fox News. “I was the only one to see [the other car] coming.”
“I noticed a set of headlights on the other side of the road, the opposite direction on Seeway,” Nate Ayers told WXMI. “I didn’t think anything of it, and then I noticed that they were coming towards us. At that point, instinct kind of kicks in because something’s wrong … I just slammed on the brakes and tried to swerve, so they didn’t hit us head-on.”
Kathleen Ayers had been on the phone with her brother when the oncoming vehicle hit them. He immediately knew something was wrong, and Kathleen Ayers had set up her phone with a crash detection feature that immediately notified her emergency contacts.
Miraculously, the family wasn’t injured — other than a few bumps and bruises. Little Gwen slept through the accident, and Gideon only piped up to ask what had happened.
The car, however, was another story, as the front was ripped off and the Nissan Murano was totaled.
“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.
But as they stood there in the dark and the chaos that followed the crash, two guardian angels — also on their way home from a New Year’s party — stopped and offered the family assistance.
“We were on the side of the road, and next thing I know, they were right there,” Kathleen Ayers said. “And I just remember her rocking Gwen while I had Gideon and keeping him distracted and answering his questions.”
Once the dust had settled and the family was back home safe, Kathleen Ayers felt compelled to search for the two kind strangers. The day following the accident, she posted on a local community group on Facebook to express her interest in personally thanking them.
“For something so wonderful in a bad time, I just needed to say thank you,” Kathleen Ayers said on Facebook, according to WXMI.
A friend of the guardian angels saw the post and tagged them in it, identifying Catherine Kloska and David Sumner as the heroes of the night — though neither Kloska nor Sumner see themselves as heroes.
“I really think it’s something that anybody, you know, I would think most people would stop and, and help out,” Sumner said.
“I’ve been in an accident before with my daughter, and I know that, that feeling inside — you’re scared, you’re shaking, you’re nervous, you’re trying to concentrate and think of things, so if, if someone could help me when that situation … happened, I’m going to help somebody else out, too,” Kloska said.
“[We’re] just very appreciative and grateful,” Kathleen Ayers said, according to WXMI.
Police determined that the other driver was not under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash, but they were reportedly awaiting bloodwork to determine if any other substances were at play.
After their close brush with death, Nate Ayers shared a public post about the incident where he explained what had happened and encouraged people to hold their loved ones close.
“I rarely post, especially about personal things, but I think this warrants it,” Nate Ayers posted on Jan. 1. “Hug your kids, your partner, anyone you care about — it only takes a split second for chaos to erupt.
“I don’t know what will happen with insurance, the other driver, etc. But, I do know that my kids are sound asleep in their beds without a scratch on them, and Kat and I are sitting on the couch decompressing before we can get some sleep, and I am eternally grateful for that.
“So, happy New Year everyone — hopefully, it can only get better from here.”
