Riverview mom says twist of fate saved son's life

A Riverview mother says a twist of fate saved her son's life, when he was supposed to be in the back seat of a car destroyed in an accident Tuesday.

Jennifer Miranda's parents were in the blue Mustang hit from behind in a wreck that injured Deputy Tim Berg and three others December 22.

"When I saw the car, I instantaneously started crying," Miranda remembered.

Her parents were on their way to the grocery store. Stopped at a red light, Deputy Berg was on his motorcycle behind them. That's when a flatbed truck rear-ended Deputy Berg - then crashing into the back of their Mustang.

Miranda's mother suffered numerous broken bones. Her father was taken to the hospital with a gash on his head. 

"She remembers holding my dad's hand and thinking that was it," she explained.

But her parents' suffering wasn't the only reason for Miranda's tears. 

"My son was actually supposed to go with them to the grocery store," she said.

Her son, Roman was one decision away from being in the back seat of his grandparents' Mustang. The decision was made by his mother at the last minute, for Roman to stay behind with her.

"I said no, let him stay here, and he can hang out with me," she said.

Miranda said she thinks it could be the most important decision she's ever made.

What seems to be clear in the photos taken after the crash, anyone in the back seat of the Mustang could have taken the brunt of the flatbed truck and a deputy's motorcycle.

"The back seat is in the front seat, the car was wrapped around a guardrail," she said. "There is debris 20, 30 feet across the... into the grass. My son would not have made it," Jennifer Miranda said.

The real reason she made the decision to keep Roman back will never be known. The fact that it was made, and that Roman wasn't in the car, is all that matters to Miranda and her family.

"He would have died," she said. "My son is 8."

Jennifer Miranda's parents survived their injuries and were released from the hospital late Tuesday night. Deputy Berg was taken to the hospital with non life-threatening injuries and was expected to recover.