The Day I Rolled Sonic (and What Josh Forgot to Tell Me)
I met Josh about six months before I rolled my Jeep onto its roof. Somewhere in that time, he told me this scare story. Very on-brand for Josh, if you know him.
Josh used to be a search and rescue guy — a volunteer — and one time his crew found a man who had died in his vehicle after tipping it over on its side. Not even a full roll like mine. The guy’s ankle got pinned under the Jeep, and because he was alone, he couldn’t call for help. No one was with him to go get help. And that was it.
So Josh delivers this story, dead serious: “Super important — number one rule of Jeeping is NEVER Jeep alone.”
And I’m like, “Okay, got it.”
Fast forward to my “brilliant” idea.
A few months later, I’m on my way up to the river with my kids. We pass Hungry Valley OHV Park, and I had just gotten 35-inch tires — which, for me at the time, was absolutely thrilling. I also had Anti-Rock sway bars that made the Jeep more flexy, so naturally my thought was: “Let’s go test out the new tires at the OHV park on the way to the river!”
The kids were into it. They were maybe eight and twelve then, and this was Sonic — the 2014 Jeep Wrangler (mall crawler Sahara edition) I’d just bought and was making payments on. I know….
We hit the park. I air down the tires, shift into 4-low, and the Jeep feels amazing. The kids are loving it. They’d already learned to spot. Hudson’s out in front calling, “Go driver, go passenger.” He’s eight. Even Joey jumps in to help spot me through some technical spots.
We’re doing the “hard” trails — not really that hard, but I was new and thought they were epic. After about an hour and a half I say, “Okay, time to head to the river.”
“Can we go down one more hill, Mom?” Joey asks.
And of course I say, “Sure, baby. I’m always good for a little more fun.”
We turn into some hills on the right — no signs, no markers. It’s about 5:30 p.m., and I don’t really know where I am, just cruising. We crest this small, steepish hill. From the top, both sides look steep. The left side looks REALLY steep. The right side looks less steep, but tricky.
“What do you think?” I ask.
Twelve-year-old Joey says, “I think we should go right.”
“I think we should go right, too.”
I start creeping down the right side. Inch by inch. Halfway down, the Jeep just stops moving, even with my foot off the brake. So I give it a little gas, and suddenly the front passenger tire dips into a hole. The Jeep pitches up onto the front bumper.
We are vertical.
Then, in slow motion, the Jeep tips all The way over onto a small bushy tree. The windshield crumples inward toward me and Joey. We don’t even realize what’s happening at first.
I had enough time to think, Whoa, that’s weird. What’s happening with the windshield?
And then we’re upside down. Hanging in our seatbelts.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry! Are you guys okay?” I blurt.
Both kids: “Yeah, we’re fine.”
“Can you unbuckle?”
“Yep.”
They plant their feet on the roof, unclip, and climb out. I follow. Doors open just fine. We step out and look back at Sonic. It’s a steep, nasty drop. I couldn’t see the hole, gave it gas, panic-braked, and boom — on the roof.
So I call my Jeep friends: Tamy, Yancy, Josh.
“You guys… I may have rolled my Jeep onto its roof.”
Them: “WHAT?!”
“Do I call Auto Club or what?”
Them: “NO. Stay there! We’ll come get you. We’ll fix it.”
They jump onto the SoCal Off-Road Recovery Forum — an online discussion forum full of real local people who LIVE to rescue off-roaders, especially women and kids stuck in a bind (upside down).
Within minutes, strangers who drive Jeeps are flying in from everywhere: “Where are you? I’m two hours out. I’m coming.” Soon, fifteen rigs are on their way. Even a volunteer tow truck guy shows up.
The tow truck guy takes one look and says, “I can’t get my truck up there. Let’s just drag it down by the bumper and flip it at the bottom.”
I’m like, “That sounds like a REALLY bad idea. How about we wait for Josh, instead.”
He’s grumpy about it, but too bad.
Two hours later, Josh arrives after a long day at work. First words out of his mouth: “WHAT did I tell you?! NEVER Jeep alone!”
And I fire back: “What are you talking about? I wasn’t alone — I had BOTH kids!”
Josh: “I meant another VEHICLE.”
Me: “Well you didn’t F-ing specify that, did you, Josh?! You need to be more specific with your storytelling!”
That was the day I rolled Sonic. Upside down with both kids inside, saved by friends who dropped everything to come rescue us. It felt like a disaster at the time, but everything happens for a reason. Nobody was injured or even scared, and my car Insurance paid to fix all the damage, which thanks to Josh and his incredible recovery skills, wasn’t that expensive.
That rollover led me straight to GenRight Offroad, where I was introduced to my future husband, Tony Pellegrino. I didn’t know it that day, but rolling my Jeep was the best thing that ever happened to me. And part of the strange and magical path that led me to where I am today.
I believe now that the Jeep didn’t just flip — it flipped the page to my next chapter.
