Podcast Summary: The Miracle Files

Episode Title: 113 MPH Crash: The Seatbelt Wrapped Around Her Neck (Ep. 52)
Hosts: Holly Worthington & Emily Jones
Release Date: December 1, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode of The Miracle Files tells the gripping true story of a horrific car accident in southern Utah and the chain of miraculous events that led to lives being saved against all odds. The hosts, Holly and Emily, focus on the power of divine intervention, the hidden orchestration behind seemingly random decisions, and the enduring hope found through faith in the darkest of moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene & Introducing the Miracle

• The story is contributed by listener Paige and centers around her cousin Callie.
• The accident takes place in St. George, Utah, near Snow Canyon State Park—an area known for its red cliffs and lava tubes.

The Lead-Up to the Accident

• Savannah (a newcomer to St. George and the women’s wrestling team at Utah Tech) accepts a spontaneous date with Tony, who suggests a late-night trip to the lava tubes (03:08).
• Savannah, a pocket knife enthusiast, brings her special pocket knife—with a seatbelt cutter—on the date but leaves it in the car when they reach the trailhead (03:08–04:17).

The Crash

• Meanwhile, Callie and her friend Hailey are with a young man (a friend of a friend) who chooses to drive through Snow Canyon and begins speeding dangerously (05:45).
• Callie and Hailey plead for him to slow down; he refuses, reaching 113 mph before losing control and going off a 300-foot cliff (06:22–07:00).
• The car rolls 15 times and is crushed, leaving Callie with a seatbelt wrapped tightly around her neck.

The Miraculous Rescue Chain

• Savannah and Tony, together with three strangers, are delayed on the trail while observing a tarantula—a chance encounter that changes the course of the night (07:20–08:27).
• The group hears the distant crash and rushes towards the wreckage, Tony calling 911 as they approach (09:00).
  • Quote:
    • Savannah: “Tony...called 911. He came back and actually put me on his back and carried me over the rest of the way to the crash.” (09:00)
• Savannah realizes she needs her pocket knife—specifically, its seatbelt cutter—sprints back to the car, retrieves it, and is able to cut Callie’s seatbelt just in time to save her life (11:30).
  • Quote:
    • Savannah: “So I cut her seatbelt and kind of unwrapped it around her neck. That's when she started to breathe and gain consciousness.” (11:30)

Hospital Ordeal & Divine Mercy

• Callie is life-flighted to the hospital; her mother, Shanda Parkinson, receives a late night emergency call and drives through the night to her daughter (12:27–13:26).
• Callie's injuries are severe: a shattered pelvis, head wounds, internal bleeding, and more—requiring multiple surgeries and weeks of life-threatening complications (14:45–18:25).
• Shanda recounts moments of agony and prayer during her daughter's suffering:
  • Quote:
    • Shanda Parkinson: “We had a really rough night that brought me to my knees...I just got on my knees and prayed for His help.” (16:49)

Healing & Recovery

• Despite grim odds, Callie survives after major surgery. Remarkably, she awakens with no memory of the pain or accident.
• A pivotal moment comes when Callie requests a piano and proves her cognitive recovery by playing “Clair de Lune” to a roomful of tearful doctors and nurses (19:08).
  • Quote:
    • Shanda: “She sat down and played Clair de Lune...there was not a dry eye in there.” (19:08)

Reflections on Forgiveness & Purpose

• Both Callie and Hailey express forgiveness toward the young man who died driving the car, emphasizing compassion and understanding of human mistakes (20:03).
  • Quote:
    • Hailey: “Mistakes can happen and...I am thinking about them a lot and that I worry about his family, and they're in my thoughts and prayers a lot.” (20:03)
• Savannah reflects on the chain of miraculous events—Tony’s spontaneous suggestion, the chance tarantula delay, the seatbelt cutter, and the rapid life flight—all as orchestrated moments that led to survival (20:52–22:46).

Impact & Inspirational Aftermath

• The Miracle Files hosts and guests discuss the life-changing effects:
  • Callie now shares her story with youth groups and aspires to go into the medical field to help others.
  • Savannah, feeling called to help people, aims to become an EMT and possibly enter the Fire or Police Academy (28:53).
  • Tony is inspired to join the military (28:33).
• The story is recognized as not only a physical miracle but an emotional and spiritual one, impacting many lives through faith and community.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Savannah on divine timing:
  • “Number one, Tony, just randomly...deciding he wanted to show me the lava tubes...Number two, the spider is definitely...that could have changed so many things.” (20:52–21:26)
• Narrator on the odds:
  • “How many young women do you know who carry a seatbelt cutter in their purse?...it absolutely saved Callie’s life.” (22:07)
• Hailey on the meaning of her survival:
  • “Miracles can happen so that the story can be shared...to help people know they can get through any hard trial and that God loves them no matter what.” (23:22)
• Shanda on trust in God:
  • “It's obvious that His hand was in this story, in miracles...He saved my girl.” (24:09)

Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | | --------- | ------------------ | | 03:08–04:17 | Savannah and Tony’s spontaneous trip to Snow Canyon and the leaving behind of the pocket knife | | 05:45–07:00 | Callie and Hailey’s car ride and the build-up to the crash | | 07:20–08:27 | The group delayed by a tarantula, setting up their proximity to the crash | | 09:00 | Tony and Savannah running to the crash scene and calling 911 | | 11:30 | Savannah cutting Callie’s seatbelt, reviving her | | 12:27–13:26 | Shanda receives the news and rushes to her daughter’s side | | 14:45–16:10 | Callie’s surgeries and medical crisis in the hospital | | 19:08 | Callie plays “Clair de Lune” in the hospital | | 20:03 | Hailey offers forgiveness to the driver’s family | | 20:52–22:46 | Savannah reflects on the sequence of miracles | | 23:22 | Hailey’s reflection on sharing her story to help others | | 24:09 | Shanda gives thanks to God for the miracles | | 28:33–28:53 | Savannah and Tony’s future plans inspired by the event |

Host & Guest Reflection (Closing Discussion)

• Holly and Emily emphasize the “God works in mysterious ways” theme, marveling at how a tarantula and a pocket knife turned into literal instruments of salvation (25:30–26:44).

  • Quote:
    • Holly: “So I guess. Thank you, Mr. Tarantula. As long as you stay 20ft away from me, we are...cool.” (26:30)

• Both hosts acknowledge the complexity of miracles—there is joy in survival, but also grief in loss.

  • Holly: “Stories like this are complicated...while two girls survived miraculously, there was someone who passed away. Our hearts and prayers truly go out to the family of the young man who passed away.” (26:46–27:04)

• The closing is uplifting and rooted in gratitude:

  • Emily: “From this one accident, how many lives will be helped and saved? You know, it's incredible.” (29:58)
  • Holly: “In moments such as this, you can either fight or you can crumble. And I would probably crumble. But Savannah learned that she is a fighter.” (29:21)

Final Thoughts

This episode stands as a testament to the unpredictable nature of miracles and the web of small decisions and coincidences that can decide life or death. Through faith, community, quick action, and unexpected help (including a spider!), the story offers a powerful reminder that God’s light is present, even in the darkest of canyons.

For New Listeners

If you’re seeking stories of hope instead of darkness, The Miracle Files delivers powerful, faith-affirming content and invites listeners to see God’s hand in everyday lives—even through spiders and strangers.

Subscribe for more miracle stories, and if you have your own, reach out to The Miracle Files!