First-hand account of wreck on Highway 17

I was headed to San Francisco on Saturday evening, Feb. 18, around 5 p.m. We were stopped in the fast lane of Highway 17 about one mile south of the Granite Creek exit in Scotts Valley.
All of a sudden I see a silver Mustang convertible flying by to the right of us in the emergency lane – not understanding how he didn’t see all the cars were at a complete stop.
He hit a red Mazda sedan, flipping the car around the other direction, hitting a silver Prius next to that car and then five more cars with debris flying through the air – all in just split seconds. I mean, I blinked, we saw the car fly by, and sat there screaming to ourselves. OMG!
I got out of the car, I rushed to everyone involved, helping all victims, making sure they’re all okay, having them sit on the right side of the road as my friend is cleaning up debris. I was kneeling down holding one girl’s hands, having her take deep breaths, leaving her to help their friend get one poor older woman who was stuck in the Mazda passenger side, pulling the door open with the air bag that had gone off. Her husband got out OK, and they stood there holding each other in shock. An EMT arrived, and was helping making everybody sit, as he checked eyes with his light on his cell phone – one younger kid said he was seeing stars.
This was the first time I’ve ever seen something like this in person. I’m still in shock today, trying to comprehend how angels watched over myself, my friend and all involved. I even ran to the guy that caused this accident asking him if he was okay. He was standing on the side of the road then trying to get things out of his car and his hood was smoking really bad and we all told him and everyone to stay away from his vehicle as we were afraid the car would catch on fire. We stayed until the first highway patrol was on site. There were no serious injuries.
I had given my number to the girl whose hand I had held. I had asked her if she would text me to make sure they were okay later that evening. She did text me several times thanking me for the random acts of kindness and holding her hands, wiping off her tears, and helping her breathe.
I am still in contact with her, checking in on them, reminding them to see a doctor.
I can’t explain why at that moment we were stopped and chose the fast lane, all I know if that if we had been in the slow lane stopped where the little red Mazda was, we would have been the first on impact. The Corvette we were in is all fiberglass: As bad as the Mazda was, I’m not sure how we would have been.
God for whatever reason was there that evening. I thank God ever since this evening for the blessings he’s given me and for keeping me unharmed and safe to where I was able to help another.
I just thought I’d share this because the rain has been consistent, our roads are falling apart, people are still getting into accidents, a worker passed away and someone drowned. This was a huge awakening for me and a reminder that even if I’m late to be somewhere or I’m in a rush, the extra time it takes me from point A to B and back doesn’t matter to me. As long as I am fully aware of road conditions, I’ll be driving slower, even slower than the speed limit if necessary, not tailgating, and so on.
Please be safe, drive slower, be patient with yourself and if you’re late, make a simple phone call to work or whomever or wherever you’re going. They will understand.