“Honda saved my life.”
Jenna Krell was running late to pick up her 14-year-old son, Jayden, from Valencia High School on Friday, Oct. 16, when she found herself as the only driver in the leftmost lane.
“I was leaving the mall to do a return, and I was on my way to pick up my son from school. My son always jokes around with me: If I was on time, this would have never happened. I just turned onto McBean from Magic Mountain, and I feel like my car was the only one that was hit because I was making a right turn and all the other cars were going straight because it’s a green light. I was the only one turning,” Krell said.
Little did Krell know that in a mere few seconds after turning, a massive eucalyptus tree would fall directly onto her white Honda SUV — the result of high Santa Ana winds that hit Santa Clarita mid-October. The aftermath entailed a totaled vehicle, with the windshield nearly shattered. Krell did not sustain any glass-related injuries.
“It happened a little bit after I turned. I remember hearing a cracking sound, and it was so loud as I was driving. I turned to my right to look, and the tree was already coming down on my car. I was just numb and in shock, like ‘Is this it? Is this the end? Am I going to see my kids again?’ The thoughts crossed my mind — then it hit my car, and there was glass everywhere. When you looked out all the windows, all you saw was tree,” Krell said. “Twenty people came over to help me get out and they helped me get out of the car. I wasn’t processing anything at that time. I was just in shock. There were so many branches. Once we got out of the car, it was just going over branches just to get to the sidewalk.”
Shortly after, paramedics arrived and transported her to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, where she was released later that day.
“I think people were in shock that there was actually a car under a tree. People said they didn’t notice the van at first — I’m so happy that I was in my van because if I was in a smaller car, that could’ve been a different situation altogether,” Krell said. “I was terrified. I was thinking how lucky I was that my kids or husband were not in my car because I’ll have all four of my kids or their friends all the time. It’s hard to think I could’ve died. Someone said if I was in the other lanes, which I normally do when I drive home, I would not have been here today, which is really hard to process.”
Krell is a wife to Brett, a nurse, and a mother to their four kids: Jayden, 14, Everly, 12, Grayson, 11, and Slater, 8.
“I keep thinking if I was in that other lane all the time, because I’m never in that one and I was this time because I was getting my son and I got over so fast, which I never do. I feel like God was looking down on me,” Krell said. “Once I got to the hospital, everything started hurting. When you’re in shock, the adrenaline kicks in. I’m also very shy, and all these people were around and looking at me, so I was trying to keep myself together at the time. Once I was by myself, I couldn’t really process what happened because I was in so much shock.”
Realizing that life could change in an instant, Krell is taking the incident as a lesson to be more intentional.
“Once I started to process what happened, I called my mom and husband. Those were my first two calls. The thought of losing me, to him, was — it’s like you never think that your life will end that quickly, and it could end that quickly. I don’t take things for granted. I try to be a better mom, do everything better,” Krell said.
Now in recovery with a stiff back, Krell has been seeking medical attention, both mentally and physically.
“I’ve been doing trigger point injections. I had 10 of them on my back. I had an MRI, and I’m waiting on the results. Then I have another MRI scheduled for my neck because they only did my back,” Krell said. “I’m still extremely sore. My back is tight, and it hurts to lie down and sit up. I’m going to a chiropractor and doing physical therapy, and I’m having a hard time sleeping. I keep tossing and turning at night, trying to get comfortable. But I still have to be a mom. I still take them to school every day. Mentally, I’ve got PTSD and a lot of anxiety. I’m crying out of nowhere sometimes. That part has been really hard. The mental part of it.”
The harrowing day is often in the back of Krell’s mind, as she recovers from the sheer impact of slamming into the tree.
“When I was driving, the tree completely stopped my car. I didn’t brake or anything. Even when I left my car, someone went back and put my car in park and turned my car off for me because I was in shock,” Krell said. “I hate driving now. As a mom, you have to bear it because you have no choice, but I constantly look at trees all the time. Our valley’s got a lot of tall trees, so I’m always looking at that. I feel bad for the people behind me because now I’m driving so slow.”
Everly, who’s a seventh grader at Rio Norte Junior High School, has been helping her mom out as she recovers.
“I found out because I was in my school, and my dad never picks me up because he’s usually at work. That day, he picked me up right at the front of the school. Then my older brother was in the car, because he got out earlier than us, and he told me. I wanted to make sure [my mom] was alright,” Everly said. “I was really happy that she was OK, we were more happy. We didn’t think that the tree was that big until we saw it, and we didn’t think much of it because my mom was OK, so I feel like it could have been a lot worse. My mom still can’t really do a lot, but we’re definitely doing better. A work in progress.”
The main takeaway for Everly is to always count blessings.
“The situation has taught me to never take things for granted, and to be happy with what you have and not focus on what you don’t have, because what you have is more important,” Everly said.
“My kids are all here, and I’m here with them, and I get to watch them grow up,” Krell said. “My biggest pride and joy is my family, and to think that I would never see them again is crazy. I’m happy that I can, and it just makes me appreciate them even more every day. My favorite thing to be is a mom — I love it, that’s what I live for. I’m glad I’m still here to do that.”
Having not had a car payment for nearly a decade, Krell is in the process of grieving her once-functioning van that must now be replaced.
To help, Krell encourages residents to reach out to Honda to send her a replacement as the holidays are approaching — as she credits Honda for being the reason she’s still alive.
