Rockwall County, TX (December 22, 2025) – Embarking on their annual family ski trip, the Kirkley family from Royse City excitedly piled into their large SUV for the brief drive from Pagosa Springs to Wolf Creek Pass, a well-known ski area in Southern Colorado. Little did they know that this trip, one of many they had taken over the years, would turn into a life-altering ordeal – testing their strength and faith in unexpected ways.
If you have driven Wolf Creek Pass you know it has a reputation as a dangerous mountain pass, however, each year many thousands of skiers, locals and tourists alike, converge on the fascinating and beautiful location to take on the dramatic slopes. On this day, in February 2025, the family, Natalie, her husband Miles, their children, son Ellis and daughter Hampton, 7 years and 5 years respectively, along with Natalie’s parents would unknowingly become part of Wolf Creek’s infamous history.
Their story – their story of survival – gives voice to numerous “God moments” seemingly insignificant at the moment to profound occurrences that saw them through the ordeal.
As they approached the summit, the accident happened instantaneously. A car proceeding down the pass swerved directly into their path. With no possibility of avoiding the accident, without moving into other traffic or careening off the side of the cliff, the car absorbed the crash head-on. The impact was catastrophic, sending a shockwave through the vehicle.
Surprisingly, and miraculously, Natalie’s parents in the front row were not seriously injured. Sitting in the middle row with Miles, a sore Natalie filled with adrenaline turned attention to her kids. With Miles in distinct pain but right by her side they pulled their children from their third-row car seats and with the help of angels, in the form of medical personnel who witnessed the tragedy, all focus was on the children.
While Hampton suffered only a minor injury, little Ellis, unconscious from the impact, and Miles were flown by emergency flight to a hospital in New Mexico as quickly as possible. What transpires from there is a story that will leave you tearful, amazed, and hopeful – all told in Natalie’s book What Didn’t Happen.
Natalie recounted their story as a way of processing the experience saying, “I never intended to write a book, but I began to journal and found it cathartic.”
Friends began to tell her she should share their story and as she continued putting her thoughts to paper a compelling story of faith unfolded. Of course, true to Natalie’s nature, she did not share the book with anyone, not even Miles, until it was almost complete.
From the lonely days at the hospital moving between Ellis in PICU and Miles recovering from surgery, to the challenges to reunite with Hampton and the rest of her family (navigating their way from Pagosa Springs in a rental), to the bigger challenges of how to return home to Texas, Natalie shares moments of fear, worry, hope, compassion, and how family, friends, community, and complete strangers step up to help someone in need.
What Didn’t Happen chronicles their survival but also compels you to look deeper – to explore your own trials and find God in the middle of the chaos.
“If someone reads this story and it brings them closer to God, then it was a success,” says Natalie.
What began as a nightmare transforms into a message of hope – that amid terrible tragedy, clinging to your faith holds you together, gives you strength, and intervenes to help you find your way home.
You can find What Didn’t Happen by Natalie Kirkley on Amazon.
Story by Blue Ribbon News staff. Photos courtesy of Natalie Kirkley.
What Didn’t Happen: A Survival Story of Faith and Resilience and a Royse City Family added by Melanie M on
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