“I’m OK physically,” she shared. “I’m definitely really bummed and really drained, but I’m just so thankful that everyone involved was OK.”

With that said, the absolute kindness of everyone involved and around the accident clearly left her moved. There are definitely times when accidents can bring out the worst in people, lead to shouting matches and accusations at who was at fault. But this was not one of those times. It was two families (you can see Hope’s family in her post from June 2022 in the photo below) coming together. And so much more.

As Hope put it, “Accidents are heavy and people are angry and it just wasn’t bad at all. Everyone was just like, ‘Oh my God, I’m glad that we’re ok and I don’t know if our cars are totaled or not, but where are you from? What do you do for a living? How are you and come over to our house for drinks.’ We were having drinks and dinner and exchanging numbers and taking photos and I’m so thankful for that experience.”

Neither she nor her brother could get over how it all went down.

“The most wild experience was how positive and overwhelmingly beautiful it ended up being hanging out with the guy and his family and my family,” she shared in wonder. “People that witnessed it stayed for hours and workers and neighbors and Oprah’s team were at the Houdini house and them coming down… By the end, we were laughing and taking photos.”

And why not? How many car accidents do folks go through right in front of the legendary Houdini’s house and that involve Oprah Winfrey’s people helping out?! Of course, it also shouldn’t be surprising that Hope made it through with such a positive attitude. As she posted back in June, Laughter is free,” and “the only thing we’re promised is this very moment.” And if there’s anything that reminds us of that, it’s a brush with our mortality.

“I was in shock of how in such a really heavy moment, something beautiful can come out of it,” Sally’s portrayer marveled. “Honestly, all that mattered was that we were all OK. And then we just spent the next few hours handling logistics, brushing off the stress and the shock.” When all was said and done, she concluded, “It was life changing, and I feel like something bigger was happening.”

“I really appreciate everyone that reached out,” Hope added. “What really matters is human beings. Kindness and love and gratitude goes a long way. It was so eye opening to see that in the midst of darkness, there is light if you just become it.”

We’re just glad that everyone involved was OK. Shaken, definitely, but it’s incredibly rare to come out of an accident feeling good not just about it, but about life.