Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Surreal but so real

I was helping Sweetie out of the car last night to take Her to Her hair salon appointment. A car passed behind us in the parking lot. Then, seconds later, we heard the awful sound of metal crushing into metal.

The car that had been behind us, as it turned right out of the parking lot, had collided with another car that was proceeding north. The second car was hit so hard that it was knocked out of its lane.

A crowd of people began to emerge from the surrounding stores and flow towards the area -- driven, I would hope, by the desire to help, not to gawk. Somewhere at the scene, a Woman began to wail.

I began to walk towards the scene, too, my heart heavy with dread but knowing that if I could help in some way, it was my duty to do so.

Some man shooed us all away; we weren't needed. Someone was giving CPR to a victim lying on the ground. Someone else was tending to a baby still in its car seat that had apparently been flung from the vehicle.

Quite rapidly, the police and ambulances arrived and began to work. Quick to arrive, too, were the reporters from Ch. 8, whose news office is a block or two away.

I helped Sweetie into the hair salon and sat down and tried to concentrate on reading -- Plutarch's account of the life of Crassus. It was hard to do. The wailing of that Woman was still on my mind. The horror of such an accident, so sudden, in such a banal, suburban place, was harsh in my mind.

8 comments:

StayAtHomeKat said...

How very very disturbing and sad.... one moment all is everyday and the next lives are forever changed.

Eastcoastdweller said...

Absolutely right, sweet Kat. A little spark in some dry paper, a confidentiality accidentally breached, a finger on a trigger, a one-night stand in some hotel, a drink that should not have been drunk -- and events are set in motion, never to be called back.

molly said...

I was on my way here, to the library, this afternoon, when I passed an accident, to which emergency vehicles were just arriving. A young man was lying on the ground, his motorbike nearby...He looked so vulnerable, lying on the road with his shoes gone God-knows-where. It's a place I pass every day. It made me cry to think that his mother will hear of it and her heart will break for her boy....Mine would. I prayed he'd be all right as I went on my way.

BraveHeart said...

We are witnesses to other people negative experiences and it draw us, and we feel the sad energy, with them.
Few years ago I saw a man jumping off the 20 story highrise. To this day I have this image encoded in my mind, him, coming down, and the noise of a touchdown.

Today I feel nothing about it, but it took a while.

we don't last long, but there is something inside and beyond our body and I am glad I am making the connection with it.

I am reading a book by Eckhart Tolle, spiritual teacher, you probably heard of him, and his famous book "The new world, awakening to you life purpose"
I am actually reading both of his books "the power of now" and the one I mentioned above. I am glad I finally grew up to read those books.

wow:) finally I can share that I am a reader of a book too:)

Rebecca said...

I am so sorry that happened, and I pray the person injured heals. I can see how it would be difficult to return to normal day to day tasks.

Jessica said...

I do not envy your experience.
The hardest thing about working as a print journalist was covering accidents. I hated it. It may not have been professional to cry on the scene but how could I not when I saw such horrors. I do prefer school PR!

Janice Thomson said...

Gosh sorry you had to see that ECD - that's something that stays in one's mind forever. Hopefully everyone will be fine.

the walking man said...

Tornadoes, Garfunkel, and accidents...busy week ECD. The IP provider is messing with my DSL. ha ha ha ha

The accident thing is not easy to read. Been in two serious ones in less than 5 years because another driver wasn't paying attention. One very similar to the driver coming out of the parking lot without regard to traffic.

Seems like I have spent this whole decade thus far recovering from body damage. *shudder* At least my a** is recovering some of it. There could have been other outcomes.

I try not to dwell on it, ut it is still to recent a blow to my...


Peace

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