A Merry Christmas indeed
About a mile from our house today, Connor and I drove past the worst auto accident I've ever seen. As best I could (theoretically) reconstruct it from where the vehicles involved came to rest, a smallish sedan was attempting to make a left turn off of a two-lane highway, but did not see tractor-trailer coming the opposite way — though I've no idea how the driver missed an 18-wheeler barrelling down a 55-mile-per-hour-speed-limit road — and pulled out in front of the truck, causing a head-on collision of one vehicle at nearly a dead stop and one at 55-plus mph. Violent is not the word.
[Perhaps the truck had a flat and swerved into the opposite lane...I didn't see it happen (thank God) so I don't really know for sure. Either way, it was bad.]
The car was wedged underneath the cab of the truck like a gigantic doorstop and was pretty much flat up to where its backseat once was. As we drove past, a medical helicopter was landing in an open field opposite the crash site. I have to assume that someone in the backseat was being attended to as there was no way on earth that anyone in the front seat survived that crash. There were about eight state troopers and one team of paramedics on the scene, but no one seemed to be rushing around, which is usually a clear indication that there's little that can be done.
Damage to the truck looked minimal, at best (imagine throwing a penny at a wall in your house), but the car was little more than a heap of crushed metal with two tires and a trunk. In this situation, I'm pretty sure at least one person (maybe more) died very quickly. I'm not sure if I'd rather be the person who died instantly, or the truck driver who now has to live with the memory of this incident for the rest of his life. Neither side looks very appealing.
Why am I telling you this story, and at such great length? I just want you to remember it when you're enjoying the holidays with your families. It's unforgivable that we have to be reminded to enjoy the company of those we love sometimes, but when I see things like the wreck I saw today, it makes it a whole lot easier to remember.
[Perhaps the truck had a flat and swerved into the opposite lane...I didn't see it happen (thank God) so I don't really know for sure. Either way, it was bad.]
The car was wedged underneath the cab of the truck like a gigantic doorstop and was pretty much flat up to where its backseat once was. As we drove past, a medical helicopter was landing in an open field opposite the crash site. I have to assume that someone in the backseat was being attended to as there was no way on earth that anyone in the front seat survived that crash. There were about eight state troopers and one team of paramedics on the scene, but no one seemed to be rushing around, which is usually a clear indication that there's little that can be done.
Damage to the truck looked minimal, at best (imagine throwing a penny at a wall in your house), but the car was little more than a heap of crushed metal with two tires and a trunk. In this situation, I'm pretty sure at least one person (maybe more) died very quickly. I'm not sure if I'd rather be the person who died instantly, or the truck driver who now has to live with the memory of this incident for the rest of his life. Neither side looks very appealing.
Why am I telling you this story, and at such great length? I just want you to remember it when you're enjoying the holidays with your families. It's unforgivable that we have to be reminded to enjoy the company of those we love sometimes, but when I see things like the wreck I saw today, it makes it a whole lot easier to remember.
posted by Carter at 7:23 PM
2 Comments:
wow, that's very tragic...
hope you're having a nice christmas with your family!
Reminds me of the fire Steve had to cover on Christmas Day in Chattanooga; I remember he was very appreciative that year. He had to work on Xmas day, but he didn't lose his whole house. Very sad. I keep thinking of all the people who are riding around in floods on canoes in California, and how they must be having a heck of a holiday.
Rachel
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