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As a winter storm moves into South Dakota, an Aberdeen family is warning drivers to respect the weather. They survived a dramatic crash with a semi earlier this week.
Kayla Moss was driving in near white-out conditions on Monday with her mother Debra Underberg in the passenger seat and three kids buckled up in the back. A semi hit their small Toyota from behind, spinning the car and leaving the family thankful to still be alive.
"I just remember driving down the highway, being very careful, going real slow and just happened to look up in the rear-view mirror for a second, seen a split of red and the sound of glass shattering everywhere," Moss said.
Moss has pictures that show what happened next but she doesn't need to see the images to remember. The car she was driving spun around.
"My two girls were just screaming. My son was bent over in his car seat, not making a sound at that time so I was scared that he didn't make it," Moss said.
"All I remember is kids screaming and Kayla telling me to get the kids out of the car," Underberg said.
Moss said she had been driving slowly because of weather conditions and the semi driver didn't see her until the last second. He told her he tried to swerve but didn't get over in time.
The three children, one, six and ten-years-old, survived and they're all recovering at home. But the kids and adults alike are nervous to get in a car again.
"We're just lucky to be alive. That's all I can say," Underberg said.
Knowing how easily the outcome could have been much different, Moss and Underberg both ask drivers to respect the weather. That warning is nothing new, but it's been reinforced to them in a way they hope it won't be to anyone else.
The family also wants their story to serve as a warning about how quickly conditions can change, especially in areas with a lot of snow on the ground. They drove on clear roads leaving town but returned in a blizzard.
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