LJ Idol Week 18: Inspired by another contestant

[dblicher]

This week's entry was inspired by basric's work in trauma. Thank you, basric.

One Good Turn

A male voice screams outside the passenger window of my little white car. Then a motorcycle crashes into the door. I stomp on the brake, and glass from the window sprays all over the passenger seat. I cover my face. When I'm certain I can feel all my limbs, I

Comments

[dblicher]

Thank you.

[halfshellvenus]

Oh, gosh. What an awful thing to go through with!

I hate our litigious society, and that you cannot ask after a person's welfare without running into legal issues. You saved that man's life, and you would care whether it continued to be saved!

I notice that this doesn't show whether you mistakenly hit him or whether, in fact, he hit you. I have the impression that he did it to himself. But that only matters from a legal standpoint. Much of the emotional trauma and worry would be the same, regardless.

I saw someone mention the Heimlich maneuver above, but I don't see how you could do that without risking injuring his spine. It really seems to me that you did the best possible thing to save him, given the circumstances.

And I'm glad your rabbi was there to help you through this, afterward. What a difference that must have made.

[dblicher]

Thank you. Great point. I'll answer that question more clearly in a revision. As for now: I never did find out whose fault the state decided it was: the motorcyclist's or nobody's. (Texas has no-faut insurance, or at least had it at the time.) I knew the collision wasn't my fault, but I still felt it was.

Yes, it was great to have my rabbi there. I'd never really even *talked* to a rabbi much before this episode, so it was also great to find out that they can be good for something. :-)

[muchtooarrogant]

How incredibly scary for you. I'm glad you survived this, helped another, and weren't infected.

Dan

[dblicher]

Thanks, Dan. Meeeeeee too. :-)

[m_malcontent]

Horrible you had to go through that, you tell the tale well.

[dblicher]

Thank you. Motorcycles scared me for years after this.

[baxaphobia]

This was great! shudder!

[dblicher]

Oh, gosh, yes, I shuddered for weeks. Thanks for reading & commenting.