Three girls were walking across Trinity Road to get to school in the morning when a car stopped to let the students cross. However, another car going almost 40 miles per hour swerved around the stopped car and hit Rocky Phelps.

It was May 10, 2024, and Phelps – now a senior, but at the time a junior – was accompanied by her lacrosse teammates Hayden Miller and Ella Grimes.

Terror rang through the bodies of these two as they watched the girl they called their best friend crumble as a car hit her.

“I just looked up and saw it coming, and at that point I knew it was going to hit me,” said Phelps.

Using her instincts, fast reflexes, and athletic nature, Phelps had jumped up right before the car hit her. She was flung onto the windshield of the car, cracking it, and then onto the asphalt. Landing on her North Face backpack is what ultimately saved her life. It broke the fall so that her head didn’t hit the ground instead.

“There has honestly been no scarier time in my life than watching that happen,” said Hayden Miller.

Silence seemed to grasp everyone there for a minute until she popped up and said, “I’m okay!”

“It all just happened so fast and was such a blur,” said Phelps.

Miller and Grimes were paralyzed with fear as they watched Phelps make their way towards them directly after the incident.

“I honestly was just in shock because she had laid on the ground for a second and then stood right up so fast,” said Ella Grimes.

WORD SPREADS

Teachers spoke in huddles and hushed whispers off in corners. Prayers for “a student” hit by a car were said in every class. Many girls on the lacrosse team were dismissed from the rest of their classes on the day.

Rumors spread like wildfires in the school halls.

“I heard she flew 20 feet in the air.”

“I heard it was an 18-wheeler that hit her.”

“I heard she broke both of her arms.”

Phelps was held in a hospital nearby all day after the impact, but she had no physical injuries besides a few bruises.

“The only thing the doctors found out that day was that I was extremely dehydrated,” joked Phelps.

When she was released and returned to school, everyone sprinted across the gym when they realized that she was actually standing there. Shortly after, the team embraced her with many hugs and even shed a few tears.

“I remember running across the gym to Rocky, and I was going so fast I almost collided into her, but that didn’t matter because she was safe,” said junior Bailey Booth.

A wave of security and happiness rushed through the girls, as the pit in their stomachs started to disappear, knowing that their friend was genuinely safe.

“Rocky is someone who embodies the phrase ‘strong leader.’ She is a person other people look to as an example and role model in their lives. We are so lucky to have her,” said coach Gabby Young.

WANTING TO PLAY

The same night, the lacrosse team had a playoff game. Phelps wanted to play, but everyone thought it would be better for her not to. 

Ironically, that day’s locker room decorations for the playoffs consisted of “Solid as a Rock” stickers, initially unrelated to Rocky’s experience.

The team players proudly wore these stickers on their jerseys during the game to monumentalize the safety of their fellow sister.

“I still think I could have played that day,” Phelps said. “I mean my legs were just a little sore, but that’s it,” said Phelps.

It was a miracle that she was left unharmed, and even crazier, she felt strong enough to want to play.

“Rocky is a huge part of our team, and everyday I’m so grateful that she was safe,” said sophomore Chole Tupis.

Even today, the returning girls on the team still have the stickers on their backpacks.

MOVING FORWARD

Patricia Alexander, head coach of the Crusaders, has this day fresh in her mind.

“I remember getting a call from Hayden around like 8:10 in the morning, and I thought it was weird. Then I found out that Rocky had just been hit by a car, and that terrified me. I rushed over right after that,” said Alexander.

Life after this experience continued as normally as possible, considering it seemed like the world would end that day.

Looking back now, it’s easier to make jokes about everything that happened, since Rocky wasn’t physically hurt, but mentally, there was a considerable scar left behind.

“I’ve looked up to Rocky ever since I met her. She always works so hard, and always has made me feel a part of the team. I can’t imagine my life without her,” said junior Molly Nussbaumer.

Even though this accident was not Phelps’s fault, she always reminds everyone how important it is to be careful when crossing the street.

ONE YEAR LATER

As of late, road safety has come to Gibbons ‘ attention with the proposed contemporary expansion of the Lenovo Center.

The lacrosse team recently attended a Raleigh city council meeting regarding the matter, where they wanted Phelps to speak of her experience.

Phelps declined the invitation to talk because the topic is still challenging to discuss, especially regarding political matters in front of a large crowd. However, the support of her teammates and school still meant a lot to her.

Hopefully, the student body made a difference that night, for the safety of their peers and fellow beloved student, Rocky Phelps.

Overall, this incident was a surge of awareness among all students about crossing busy roads.

Despite this having happened almost a year ago, the memory is always in the back of Phelps’s and the rest of the team’s minds.

“May 10 is coming up,” she said, “so remember to look both ways every time you cross the road.”