One spring day in 2017, Hannah Simmons, who lived in Gainesville, Georgia, was taking her nine-month-old daughter, Alannah, to a routine appointment at the doctor. Because Safia was there, Jun was expecting to spend a normal day. Fast as a thought, everything was different. The car Hannah was driving went out of control and hit a truck straight on. The effects were very severe. Because of the accident, Hannah, her baby girl and her best friend were killed, bringing a lot of grief and broken families.
After calling emergency services, everyone at the accident understood there was not much they could do to help. When the tragedy took three lives, one of them being a child, the public became emotionally shaken. The troubling news was shared with the families and this news broke their hearts. What was intended to be an ordinary day resulted in a terrible nightmare they didn’t expect.
At around the same time, 19-year-old Anisa Gannon was trying to get to work and came across the traffic queue because of the accident. To explain why she was late, she picked up her phone and took a picture of what happened. It was meant as a practical way to prove people were struggling to get through the traffic. It was only in the next moment, when she looked more closely at the picture, that she saw something strange: a brilliant light from above shining on the wreckage. The lines from the beam pierced the regular scene as if they were on a movie set.
Seeing the image, Anisa wanted to communicate it to the victims’ families. When Hannah’s family members saw the photo, they were overcome by strong emotions right away. A lot of them started crying because they felt the loss and also felt that what they witnessed was truly a sign of God. After seeing the photo, Tara, Anisa’s aunt, added these words: “It felt like they were entering heaven together.”
Even if experts pointed out it could have been the windshield or the sun, the family believed another explanation was needed for Anisa’s disappearance. To these individuals, the purpose of the photo was not science or optics; it was about giving meaning, hope and displaying that Hannah, Alannah and their cherished friend were not alone at the end. It gave them hope for peace when everything seemed hopeless and showed them that their loved ones were moving to a better place.
Hannah’s mother, Jodi Simmons, was open about how the image gave her peace. She described seeing the image as believing it gave a “pathway to heaven,” something to hold onto when everything else seemed so dark. The people grieving this tragedy saw the beam as more than something to fascinate tourists. It was designed to send a message.
Sudden and tragic losses take away something that cannot be replaced. However, for grieving families, small signs which might be spiritual or simply symbolic, can help a little. They make us believe that our loved ones may still be with us from a place full of peace. Although the story of Hannah Simmons, her daughter and her friend is very sad, it also offers a spark of light in several ways. By lighting a lamp, others can sense hope, comfort and have a jump start with what they don’t see.