Patagonia residents hearing a scream of sirens just after sundown on Nov. 11 may have wondered what all the fuss was about. Problem was, I drove off the side of a mountain when forced off the road by a pack of javelina huddled in the middle of Highway 82. What happened next was my sunshine yellow VW Beetle spun around and flew off the highway.

It was an eerie sensation—careening downwards into a dark, rocky, wooded oblivion. Trees and branches flying past. Rocks and dirt hitting the windows. Broken glass and thick dust filling the space around me.

When the car finally plunged to a stop, my seat was flipped backwards. Dirt covered my eyelids, face and hands. Glass littered the seats. Lifting my head and peering into the headlights, I could see that my earlier perception of heading front-first down the mountain had changed—now the front of my VW faced uphill.

Feeling around for my phone, I dialed 911. When dispatch asked my location, I said I wasn’t sure but thought I was about a mile from Patagonia—somewhere deep in the woods. Then I called my friend Adrienne to tell her I was going to be late for dinner. When I told her I’d been in an accident, she said she’d drive out to find me. I guess she figured she’d just follow the sound of sirens.

Relieved that help was on the way, I had a strong sense of needing to get out of the car and up to the road. Surrounded by trees and boulders, I knew no one would be able to spot my vehicle because I could not even see the top of the hill. So I channeled a surge of strength, kicked the car door open and crawled out. Activating my phone flashlight, I began crawling up the steep hill on my hands and knees—wearing high-heeled ankle boots and a tie-dyed dress.

Elated to reach the top, I spotted the highway. There in the distance, our “Welcome to Patagonia” road sign beamed in the headlights of a passing truck. Almost immediately, there was Adrienne, inching along the highway, calling my name. We didn’t have to wait long in her car before the darkness was illuminated by the light bars of responding vehicles from the Highway Patrol Division of Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Patagonia Marshal’s Office, the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sonoita-Elgin Fire District.

As a tow truck was summoned and paramedics checked my pulse, State Trooper Mark Enciso advised me that rather than trying to avoid hitting wild animals in the road, it’s safer to just run them over. Deputy Ron Davis of the Patagonia Marshal’s Office remarked that it was miraculous I walked (actually, climbed) away unharmed. He said the typical scenario is that when a car flies off the road, it rolls over several times and the driver is trapped inside. Somehow, when my VW went over the edge, it spun around, rolled backwards and landed straight up atop a large rock. Curious, too, that the tow truck driver said it appeared my VW suffered only minor damage.

So, as it turns out, I was happily saved by a rock. Apropos, considering the personal blog I began writing in 2014 is entitled “Happiness on the Rocks.” My personalized license plate is “HAPPYME” and the license plate holder reads, “Yep, I’m happy!”

Victoria Colette Reynolds can be followed on her hashtag #HappinessOnTheRocks.