He sent an angel to save my life: 86-year-old Ruby Jeter recalls the day she lived to tell her story
ROGERSVILLE — It was 48 years ago this Saturday, not unlike any other September night, when 38-year-old Kingsport mother of five Ruby Jeter prepared to leave work at the Holiday Inn on Lynn Garden Drive, unaware of how her life was about to change. Then it happened. “I could hear them talking, saying ‘Take her to the morgue,’ but I couldn’t say anything. The blood was just gushing and my mind was coming and going. That’s what I remember most.” Today, at age 86 and a Rogersville resident for the past 21 years, Jeter vividly recalls the tale she says she is blessed to have lived to tell. “I had just gotten off work. Me and the lady who rode to work with me were trying to start my car. And that’s when it happened.” Jeter raised the car hood to adjust a lever on a faulty solenoid switch. “The woman friend of mine was in the car, ready to feed the gas, but when the motor started the car went into gear. It jumped the curb and pinned me against ...