BILLINGS — When Jacob Serrano woke up on December 26, 2023, it felt like just another work day.
Serrano ate some breakfast, loaded up his car and was on his way to his job site before hitting a patch of black ice on the far west end of Grand Avenue in Billings.
"I thought I'd just go straight over it, but I felt my car slip and start fishtailing," Serrano said. "I swerved into the oncoming traffic in the other lane and that's when I realized I wasn't going to be able to correct it."
Serrano said the accident happened fast. All of a sudden, he was driving headfirst into a ditch with the worst thoughts on his mind.
"All I could think of was my wife and my child," Serrano said. "I think I realized that maybe this is the end of my life."
Serrano was driving an old work vehicle for the construction company he owns, and to make matters worse, the seat belt didn't work.
"Unfortunately, my seat belt wasn't working and my airbags didn't deploy so I went right into the ditch at about 35 miles per hour," Serrano said. "My head went straight into the windshield and then I just pushed my feet into the floor and my back into the seat as hard as I could so I didn't fall."
Somehow, Serrano managed to make it out of the crash, and the first thing he did was call his wife, Monica Serrano.
"I just started to choke up when I heard her voice," Serrano said. "I think that's when it hit me."
Monica said that when she first received the call, she thought Jacob was messing with her. She quickly realized it was serious.
"It was really scary. I'm not the best under pressure," Monica said. "At the time I was 35 weeks pregnant, so I just kept telling myself to stay calm."
Monica rushed to the scene with the couple's nearly 2-year-old daughter. She said seeing the damage and first responders was overwhelming.
"There was firefighters and police officers everywhere," Monica said. "It was really nerve-wracking and scary, but seeing him standing there and being able to give him a hug was a huge thing. I just kept telling myself not to cry, but I might cry right now."
While the Serranos know the crash could've been much more devastating, it still has taken a physical and emotional toll on the family.
Jacob suffered a concussion and some rib injuries in the crash, which have made it impossible for him to work.
"It has put me out of work for a couple of months, which was definitely not the start I envisioned to 2024," Jacob said.
This is during a time when the family is just a couple weeks away from welcoming their second daughter to the world.
"It has been really tough with his injuries because I'm now 37 weeks pregnant and he can't do much and I can't do much," Monica said.
The family admitted that while they are living through a difficult time, they're doing their best to focus on what's important.
"We just stay positive and stay excited," Monica said. "We're thankful we're alive and getting to have another baby and all the positive and good things out of that."
