Chris and Lori went through immense pain after losing their three beloved children, and they believed that they would never experience anything but sorrow and agony. However, something unbelievable occurred that will give you goosebumps.
It was a horrific incident that nightmares are made of. In May 2007, Lori Coble was in traffic with her family’s minivan, accompanied by Kyle, his sisters Emma (4) and Katie (2), and Lori’s mother Cindy. It was just a day after Kyle’s 5th birthday when a truck weighing 20 tonnes and traveling at a speed of over 90km/h collided into the back of their van.
After their three beautiful children were tragically killed, Lori and Chris were left with an incomprehensible future of grief and suffering.
However, just six months later, Lori became pregnant with triplets – two girls and a boy.
On the day of the accident, Lori, her mother, and her children had gone shopping, which included a visit to a pet store and a ride on a ferris wheel at a nearby mall. As they were driving back home, Lori noticed that Katie was starting to doze off. In an attempt to keep her awake, Lori tickled her toes, but in a split second, everything changed.
A vehicle crashed into the back of their car, causing Lori to lose consciousness and all three of her children to sustain serious injuries. The emergency responders had to separate the family to provide them with the medical attention they needed. Cindy and Lori were taken to one hospital, Kyle and Katie to another, and Emma to a third hospital.
When the incident occurred at Chris’s workplace, authorities contacted him immediately, and he rushed to the nearest hospital where his wife and mother-in-law were admitted.
During an interview with Oprah in 2011, Chris recounted what happened next. “‘I’m sorry, but Katie has died,’ a doctor said. After a few minutes, they informed him that the doctor from Saddleback Hospital had called. When he answered the phone, the first thing he said was, Please tell him Emma is alive. ‘I’m sorry, but Emma has passed away,’ he remarked.”
Chris was in shock, unable to comprehend what was happening to him.
He hurried to the hospital where Kyle was receiving medical care, but his optimism was crushed when the doctors informed him that Kyle’s brain had been deprived of oxygen and advised him to take him off life support.
Despite her own injuries, Lori was taken to say goodbye to her child.
During an interview with Oprah, Chris revealed that his wife said, “He’s had to go to be with his sisters now, his sisters are expecting him,” as they turned off the life support machine. Lori, who was in a wheelchair at the time, tried to stand up as best she could.
After they turned off the life support, the room fell silent, and Chris applied pressure on his son’s chest until his heart stopped beating. Then, their son passed away.
The family was concerned about Chris and Lori as they struggled to cope with the loss of their children, and Lori’s mother, Cindy, even went to their home one day when Lori didn’t answer her phone. She was afraid that they might hurt themselves because of the immense grief they were experiencing.
Despite the overwhelming pain, destiny had other plans for Chris and Lori’s home.
Almost exactly one year after the loss of Kyle, Emma, and Katie, Lori gave birth to triplets named Ashley, Ellie, and Jake.
Although Lori and Chris acknowledge that their new family can never replace the children they lost, the arrival of Ashley, Ellie, and Jake has brought joy back into their lives.
Lori acknowledges that Kyle, Emma, and Katie can never be replaced, but she sees the birth of their triplets as a miracle. She believes that Kyle, Emma, and Katie had a hand in making it possible for them to have these children.
Chris agrees that it’s hard to think otherwise when you believe that your lost loved ones are watching over you and protecting you. He feels that Kyle, Emma, and Katie were somehow involved in bringing their new family into existence.
Following the tragedy, Chris, Lori, and their families have taken on the trucking industry in America to ensure that no one else experiences what they went through. They have also advocated for the state to improve the safety of the road where the accident occurred, which includes a blind spot.
The couple is advocating for the United States to adopt the same regulations as Europe and many other countries, which require trucks to have onboard computers that track their speed and location using GPS.
According to Chris Coble, this measure has significantly reduced truck fatalities in other countries. He questions why the same policy cannot be implemented in the United States and urges politicians and others to catch up.
In a remarkable display of forgiveness, the couple has also forgiven the truck driver, Jorge Romero, who is a father of three himself.
During the trial, Lori and Chris had the opportunity to meet Romero, who was found guilty on three counts of vehicular manslaughter and sentenced to a year in prison. Chris describes Romero as a “a very kind-hearted, sensitive person.”
“You could be tempted to criticize someone just by recounting this narrative, there’s somebody behind the wheel, and while they shared some of the culpability in this catastrophe, he just felt utterly dreadful.”