45°
Jennifer, 27, was driving home from a holiday potluck in Parsippany when she hit a patch of ice and her car spun out, hitting barriers on the I287.Route 80 ramp "like bumper cars," she wrote in the New York Times.
Paralyzed with fear, she sat in her car facing oncoming traffic and was hit twice by other cars.
One of those two cars was Nick, 26, a volunteer firefighter in Hopewell, now the assistant manager at Banchetto Feast, in Nanuet N.Y., and firefighter in Spring Valley.
He had pulled his E-brake to gain more control of his car and sideswipe her -- hitting his hazards and horn to stop the tractor-trailers and row of cars behind him.
"My family soon arrived to the accident scene," Jennifer wrote. "We offered to drive Nicholas home. I wrecked his car and he saved my life. It was the least we could do."
Nick continued calling Jennifer until Dec. 30, 2013 -- when they went on their first date. The couple got married in October of this year in Monroe, Conn.
"I wish I could reach out to each of the many frustrated drivers and passengers who were stuck in the four-mile backup that night," Jennifer wrote. "If only they knew the magic that came of that treacherous accident, they might have renewed faith in the power of love.
"You never know who is ready to open the door for you, and change your life forever."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridgefield Park-Hasbrouck Heights and receive free news updates.
