“I’m at peace with this,” Jodie Carter said in an interview with ABC affiliate WSB 2 in Atlanta. “Because I know they’re all in a better place than we are now.
Jody lost her niece Lauren Buteau, cousin Hannah Simmons, and cousin’s 9-month-old daughter A’lannah Hopkins in a terrible crash on Georgia State Route 347.
Buteau and Simmons were returning from a doctor’s appointment when Simmons crashed into an oncoming truck after losing control control of her car. Now two families struggle to cope with their passing.
“Hannah, that was my best friend,” said Paige Wilson, Hannah’s cousin. “She was my maid of honor and the godmother of my children. A’lannah was my goddaughter.” Hannah Simmons was engaged to be married to Javont’e Hopkins and was two months pregnant with his child. “We were working on planning her wedding,” Wilson told WSB 2.
Carter said that she and her family are relying on their faith for the strength to move forward. A photograph taken by a driver behind the accident has helped support their beliefs.
The picture, now called “A Pathway to Heaven,” was shared on Twitter:
Family sees 'sign from heaven' at site of deadly crash https://t.co/CUiJ8cxGX7 pic.twitter.com/92Gp4Hmtsa
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) May 3, 2017
“It took my breath away. Chills covered my body. And then a peace came over me,” Carter said after seeing the photo. Some people disregarded the effect as a lens flare, but Carter sees something more. “I see God taking them up to heaven. Their spirits, their orbs are up there. No other explanation.”
Wilson questioned her faith after losing so many family members, but this image helped guide her back. “When I saw the picture, it completely reassured me. We may not understand why things happen like this,” she said.
Was it just a coincidence or a sign of a higher power? What is your opinion?