My Father-in-Law Edmundo and the Car Crash

Edmundo Leite, July 2017
Telling the story at the FamilySearch Library
Riverton, Utah

Curiosity killed the cat it is said. For my father-in-law Edmundo Leite, his curiosity in a car accident almost got him killed, but not in the way you would expect. With aid from a subtle divine warning, Edmundo was able to escape a likely death.

As a dentist in Brazil, Edmundo occasionally needs to travel to other cities for his job. Some time ago, he traveled to Santa Helena, Maranhão to work, which is roughly 290 miles (~420 kilometers) from his home city of Belém, Pará. On one of the days he finished working in Santa Helena, he was the last passenger in a taxi when an interesting situation arose.

While conversing with the taxi driver, a car at a very high speed from the opposite direction passed them and nearly hit them. Less than two minutes later, another car whizzed by at a high speed, but this time it was also firing gunshots! Soon thereafter, a loud noise was heard, and it appeared the car that had just passed them likely crashed and flipped over. Nearby, a large group of people gathered in the middle of the road to check out what looked like a possible car chase and a subsequent accident.

The taxi driver stopped the car and spoke with one of the people he knew in the crowd. The person told the taxi driver to go back because certainly there had to have been an accident and a flipped-over car. The taxi driver looked to Edmundo and said, “Let's go?” Feeling hesitant, Edmundo replied, “No, let's not go back. Those guys aren't good. There's something else wrong so let's keep going.”

However, the taxi driver was curious to see the accident and insisted to go back. Also somewhat curious, but also with some fear, Edmundo agreed so long as they were really quick just to see what happened.

The taxi driver turned around and arrived at the scene. Sure enough, there was a crash and the car had flipped over and was now upside-down. Three individuals from the car, wounded and bleeding, were sitting or laying down close by. Some other young people were also at the accident scene, but they were actually going through the car and taking things. Edmundo spoke with one of the young people and asked what he was doing. The young man said he was looking for money. Edmundo replied and said the money didn't belong to him. “But I'm needing money” was the justification given for the blatant theft. Edmundo didn't press the young man any further.

Another person at the accident scene, who started helping the wounded individuals, asked Edmundo if he could take them to a nearby hospital. Edmundo declined and said no. The person asked, “Why not?” Edmundo gave an excuse that the car wasn't big enough (although it really was big enough), and he told the person they were in a hurry so other cars at the scene should take the three men. Edmundo and the taxi driver then left and went on their way.

However, down the road a ways, Edmundo and the taxi driver saw a military police car parked with a number of officers inside. The military police asked them if they had recently seen a “situation.” Edmundo related information about the flipped-over car and that it was firing gunshots before the crash. Edmundo told the military police that they should go back see what happened there. The military police replied that their car wouldn't start and they couldn't go back. Edmundo also learned that one of the military police officers was wounded for being shot in the foot.

Edmundo at his office in Belém, Brazil

April 2016

Edmundo asked, “Why are you shot in the foot?” He learned an officer was shot in the foot from the very same car that was speeding earlier – the same car that crashed! Edmundo and the taxi driver ended up taking the wounded officer to the hospital, and there was no further incident for them that night. Edmundo later went back to his home in Belém.

Edmundo returned to Santa Helena about 15 days after the accident. A colleague asked him if he had heard anything about the disastrous car accident. The colleague then stated he was actually there and saw practically everything that transpired. The colleague recounted that the three men from the car accident were later taken to the hospital by some other driver. However, at the hospital, there were other military police officers in wait. When the car arrived at the front of the hospital, the military police soldiers opened fire on the car and killed everyone inside – the three men from the crash and the driver.

Edmundo realized that if he and the taxi driver had given a ride to those three men – the bandits – it was very likely he and the driver would have been killed for having an appearance of being associated with criminals. Edmundo credits his life being spared to a divine warning for his personal protection. The real reason he declined to help the three men is because he felt prompted by the Spirit of God to not give them ride and to get away from the situation. Little did Edmundo know the situation would be a bit more complicated than simply trying to take some injured people to the hospital from a car accident – the men were criminals that had also attacked military police officers.

Edmundo has said, “I've always trusted in God. I've always trusted in the companionship of the Holy Spirit. When you are worthy, the spirit will follow you.”

In this case, having the Spirit of God as a companion helped protect Edmundo from likely death – even if it meant appearing to be indifferent to others who were injured and in need of help. But of course, the situation was not that simple.

***

Adaption by Tom Hartley, son-in-law to Edmundo Leite. Based on a video interview with Edmundo completed on July 12, 2017 by his daughter Juliana Hartley. The original interview with Edmundo, in Portuguese, is located here: https://youtu.be/0uZC7vr4QZU