Mikelly Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 Haven't been around much the last few days, and been in a real foul mood since Friday night... I was asleep and had been for all of five minutes when the sound of skidding tires and a huge impact woke me. I jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes, and told the wife to call 911. Got my keys and drove down to the end of my driveway to take a look... I live off a fairly busy secondary road that is wooded and has lots of wildlife. Speedlimit is 45mph. All of the homes in my little cluster stand back about an acre or two from the roadway, and you can't see the road for the trees, kinda like a park setting really. So I see car lights to the left and head that way... Sure enough I pull up and see a car sitting sideways behind a couple trees, with a young man laying on the ground in front of the car. I checked him for pulse, which he had, and then moved over to the passenger side of the car, where I find a young woman laying by the passenger front door, which is open due to the impact. I check her pulse and she's got one. I then look up and see a young woman sitting in the back seat of the car, a toyota corrolla four door compact. She isn't moving. Due to the position of the young woman on the ground, I can't get past her and into the passenger in the rear. It's probably a good thing, as when I move around the driver's side of the car I can see the damage and the fact that she's not gonna make. We watch as she takes her last breath and it just breaks my heart. I'm not an EMT, and haven't had trauma training for a while and I know what I learned way back then is gone from practicle use. Several other bystanders start applying pressure to the wounds of those on the ground, while a neighbor and I start looking in the woods for a possible 4th passenger. Finally the fire/rescue workers get there and take charge. Then it sets in. I haven't seen someone die in a while, and I've got two stepsons about her age. It hit me like a ton of bricks. Not tears or anything understandable... Just a hole thru everything I know to be good in life. What really bugged me was the fact that she was belted in. The paper reported it wrong, but of the three individuals in the car, this 16 year old kid was the only one doing the right thing, wearing her seatbelt. The story was released yesterday and it appears that the young woman driving the car was the 16 yearold girl's older sister, a 20 year old. The unidentified male is 16. Both are listed in serious condition. Alchohal and speed weren't a factor. I know kids get killed every day, and we read about it in the papers all the time, but this one was right in front of me, and man it just really was so tragic. To top it off, Her mother works at the fastmart right up the street I stop in at 3-4 times per week and I've seen them in there chatting with mom and checking in... It stinks and I've been in a terrible funk since Friday. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smoorenc Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 I watched a girl (coming back from her honeynoon with her husband) die in front of me on a motorcycle. They had a blow out about 10 feet in front of my car on the beltway around Richmond going back to Norfolk through Frederick on 95. I almost ran over them both in my Triumph. But she died right there while I was trying to help. I sold my Suzuki 850 after that ( I was getting married that month.). It really upset me, I have never seen so much blood and gore. I was doing 85 when they passed and pulled in front of me. I hope no one has to go through that. Its so much different than watching a movie. I have 2 teenagers a 20 yr old son and a 16 yr old daughter. She gets upset when I won't let her pile into a car with other high school kids to go into Charlotte. I tell her I don't care! How is that sister going to feel for the rest of her life. I have always told that to my son and his friends before they leave in a car. "How could you look anyone in the eye after you killed someone by being stupid". My daughter calls me a hypercrat, she knows I was stupid with cars and bikes when I was young. I tell her I don't care, call me what you want, you still aren't going. I will load them all in the crew max and take them. This last weekend her and her 16 yr old girl friend were wanting to go into Charlotte for a Cosmetology convension, she couldn't understand why my wife and I were concerned. "But we are 16 Dad!" EXACTLY! I have been there, sorry you had to go through it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted October 23, 2007 Share Posted October 23, 2007 It seems like a huge waste when something like that happens. It creates another hole in your soul that takes a while to heal. It never really goes away but you get used to it. Hang in there and you did the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario_82_ZXT Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Friday night I was texting back and forth with this girl from school when out of nowhere she stops responding. She calls me at 1am telling me she's in the hospital. She's a sorority girl and they were all traveling to a convention in California (she wasn't driving). They were in an SUV looking for an exit on the highway. One of her sisters was driving and they thought the missed and exit and try to turn but turned too hard and rolled the SUV multiple times. I believe there were 5 girls including her in that SUV. 2 Without seat belts. 1 didn't make it. The girls that weren't wearing seat belts were not seriously injured. In fact most were just bruised and maybe got a few stitches. All except for one. Mario Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
datsun40146 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 That horrible Mike I'm sorry you had to go through that, I know it changes you. You just have to pick up and move on, care for the survivors. Again I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I don't know if this will restore your faith in humanity or not Mike, but my father-in-law Gary just saved a 2 year old girl's life about a week ago. He was coming out of a hardware store and jumped in front of a car to keep it from running her over. Apparently her mom had bought a tricycle for her and she wanted to jump on it right when they got out the door of the store. Mom said "OK, but stay close" and the kid jumped on, put her head down and pedaled as fast as she could. The car was coming out of a parking garage and couldn't see her at all. My father-in-law ran in front of the car and actually got hit by it in the knee. Then he sat down and started crying right there at the thought of that 2 year old getting run over. Apparently that got the mom crying and pretty soon a bunch of people were all standing around crying about the whole thing. That's actually the second kid he's saved. The other time was a couple years back and he was driving down the street and this 7 or 8 year old's grandparents came running out of a house screaming for help. He stopped and ran over and their grandson was floating in the pool not breathing and very blue. Gary pulled the kid out and put him on his side and I guess the water ran out of the kid's lungs and he started coughing and came to. I know this won't make what you saw any less horrible, and I'm sorry you had to go through that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffer949 Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 i agree that set belts work and i always wear one.. but when i was 18 i fell asleep on a super 2 highway and was going 70(speed limit was 65) and fell asleep and drifted into the side of an oncoming semi also going 70.. it was a Yellow Frieghtliner truck hauling 2 trailers and i hit right behind the door and hit every wheel on the semi and trailers and then flipped the secound trailer when i hit the back wheels.. needless to say i wasnt wearing a seatbelt and i was in bad shape but the only real damage was the fact that my battery got crushed and i got acid on my face and in my eyes. no broken bones. only a few cuts.... then my friend wrecked on the same road not 2 weeks later and died and the wreck looked alot less sever and he was wearing his seat belt.. it just kinda made me feel like why did i make it and was doing stuff wrong and here he was doing every thing right and he still died.. it honestly bothered me for a good 2 years after the accident and took alot to get over it... so basically just keep trucking on you can make it through this.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chiropractor Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 Mike, the important thing to remember is that you did the right thing in that you went out to offer assistance. Perhaps what you did helped the survivors in some way, and I have found that if you live your life in this manner you will leave a positive mark on your community and to the people you share life with... whether you know them or not. Things like this remind us of how precious life is, and especially how important those people close to us are. I am sure if the parents of the person you tried to assist are aware of what you did, they are comforted in some way... T.O. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.INSANE Posted October 24, 2007 Share Posted October 24, 2007 I was heading up to Gencon last last summer and on the way up there on the other side of the road there had just be a car accident, i could see an old man crushed in a car. I could tell he was dead because the police started putting up shields kind of scared me the rest of the way up there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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