Our Opinion: Circumstances defy explanation

News Tribune editorial

"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of your philosophy." - William Shakespeare's "Hamlet"

"I can't explain." - The Who

Some events defy explanation. The circumstances remind us some mysteries cannot be solved.

Such is the case with a Sunday car accident involving 19-year-old Katie Lentz, a resident of Quincy, Ill., and an intern in Jefferson City.

Lentz was trapped in her vehicle after a suspected drunk driver crossed the center line and hit her car head on.

A frantic scene ensued as rescue workers struggled for about an hour in an effort to free the teen from the twisted wreckage.

Lentz asked rescue workers to pray with her and, at that point, a priest with anointing oil mysteriously appeared at the scene.

What happened next is described by New London Fire Chief Raymond Reed. "He (the priest) came up an approached the patient, and offered a prayer ... A sense of calmness came over her, and it did us as well. I can't be for certain how it was said, but myself and another firefighter, we plainly heard that we should remain calm, that our tools would now work and that we would get her out of the vehicle."

Additional rescue workers arrived and the victim was extricated. When rescuers attempted to locate and thank the priest, he had disappeared as mysteriously as he had arrived.

Lentz remains hospitalized with broken bones, but reportedly suffered no serious head or internal injuries.

People who require a rational or scientific explanation likely will be able to deduce one. Perhaps the additional rescue workers had the right equipment. Perhaps the degree of calm amid frenzy allowed rescuers to adopt a different approach. Perhaps the priest was simply among the travelers who arrived at the scene.

Or perhaps another explanation is accurate. Travis Wiseman, pastor of the Lentz family's church in Illinois, said: "Prayer is what saved her life, and there's not a single fireman or deputy sheriff (who responded) who will disagree."

We can't explain. Some mysteries simply resist our ability to solve them.