Four nuns from Northeast Philadelphia and a young Delaware County driver miraculously survived a horrific car crash in Bethel Township last month, writes Barbara Boyer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The nuns were hit by a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old man who had crossed the center line while driving in the opposite direction.

The collision left the five people trapped inside a mangled maze of twisted metal, as rescue workers, two of whom were dressed as Santa, cut their way through the wreckage.

Bethel Township Police Chief Tom Sharp said that he was expecting fatalities when he arrived on the scene.

“They’re lucky to be alive,” he said.

When asked if he felt the presence of God when he made it to the scene, he replied that he truly believed that was why they were still alive.

Sharp is not the only one who believes a higher power was involved.

“I’m calling it a Christmas miracle, even with Santa there,” said Sister Barbara Jean Wojnicki, the superior of the Holy Family Province of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth.

Read more about the accident in the Philadelphia Inquirer by clicking here.