A small gesture of kindness and care can go a long way. One woman turned a moment of horror into gratitude.
"I feel like that's everyone's worst nightmare," said Brittany Fant, a resident of Ardmore.
Fant on Tuesday was driving down Madison Boulevard, her everyday route home from work.
"A vehicle had pulled out in front of me, and I guess they thought they had enough time to get in front of me, and immediately, I tried moving to the right lane to avoid hitting them," said Fant.
In the blink of an eye, the cars collided, and Fant's car flipped onto its passenger side.
"I was stuck inside my vehicle," said Fant.
All of the airbags deployed, and Fant was trapped.
"I thought I was going to be there for hours upon hours, but I was only there for five minutes," said Fant.
Madison Fire, Madison Police and Huntsville Emergency Medical Services Inc. showed up immediately and took action.
"They were all so nice and calm and helpful. Of course, they were trying to keep me calm. They talked me through how to get out of my vehicle," said Fant.
The calm and caring nature of first responders is what Fant remembers most about her accident.
Instead of brushing off the memory of fear, she went online to thank and find her superheroes.
"I just wanted to see if it was possible to get who they were and thank them for what we did," said Fant.
And, it was. Fant and EMT Angie Hall reunited after the accident took place.
"I just want to say thank you for what you guys do. I appreciate you guys responding to me so quickly and making sure that I was OK," said Fant.
To Hall, those words mean the world.
"When someone actually takes the time to reach out to us and says, 'Hey, you made a difference, you helped me,' that goes a long way," said Hall.
Fant may have some bruises and scratches, but those will fade. Her appreciation for first responders — that's here to stay.
"I'm blessed to be alive," said Fant. "I just want to say thank you for what you do and what you did for me."
Fant said a number of bystanders called 911 and waited for first responders to get there. She wants those people to know their care also didn't go unnoticed.
