Day 5.2 - Happy Thing Meme
After my drive home from work, I realized I have another happy thing... Civic Responsibility and Keen Observational Skills
It is now December, and I have just called in my 4th accident scene for the year. And once again, I am the first person to bother reporting an accident.
I was like 4 cars back in the Northbound double turn lane at Ulster & Belleview, and I heard that tell-tale sound of cars smacking into each other. But I was too far back to see anything. When all the cars kept going, I thought maybe someone just hit something in the road and it must have faked me out. And then I got to the front of the line and saw it. A Dodge Intrepid with a completely smashed front end and a Jeep Cherokee was some stuff hanging off the side of it.
I was about to throw on my hazards and get out when the guy in the Jeep Cherokee starts driving away. So, I grab a pen and start writing down the plate #. Then I see him pull off to the side of Belleview and the Dodge Intrepid tries to back up and out of the way of the flow of traffic.
The whole front end on the Dodge is crumpled up and there's fluid spilling everywhere, so I'm a little worried about the shape of the driver. I can also see the front quarter panel on the Jeep is dragging on the ground. But all the cars are just going around, and no one is trying to help these people.
Because of the position I was in, and the fact that if I got out of the car then, I'd be putting myself in danger as well, I decide the best thing I can do is call the whole thing in to 911 with my cell. And I was the first call.
I had to give the full intell on the scene so they could dispatch the cars. I pulled off to the side of the traffic and kept an eye on the scene as I relay the information to dispatch. And then she asks me... "Were you involved in the accident?" I had to tell her I was at least 4 cars back in the double turn lane and I just heard the sound. That I was simply the only person who stopped to see if they needed help. She took all my information anyway, just in case, since I seemed to have so so many details.
I was happy to relay the information, and I consider it my duty as a former EMS worker, and my responsibility as a citizen to render appropriate aide when and where I can. Even if it is nothing more than calling the right people into the situation and paying attention to the details, and keeping myself or others from adding to the problem. This is not the first time, and I doubt it will ever be the last, but it's just something I cannot ignore.
And for anyone else out on the road I can offer you one incredibly vital tip for surviving the perils of sharing the road. Always look and listen. The more you pay attention to the things around you, the better off you will be. You can control the quality of your driving skill, but that doesn't mean the other drivers will be as skilled. By paying attention to them, as well as your own actions, you give yourself that much more time to react. And that time will save your life, and the lives everyone else as well.
It is now December, and I have just called in my 4th accident scene for the year. And once again, I am the first person to bother reporting an accident.
I was like 4 cars back in the Northbound double turn lane at Ulster & Belleview, and I heard that tell-tale sound of cars smacking into each other. But I was too far back to see anything. When all the cars kept going, I thought maybe someone just hit something in the road and it must have faked me out. And then I got to the front of the line and saw it. A Dodge Intrepid with a completely smashed front end and a Jeep Cherokee was some stuff hanging off the side of it.
I was about to throw on my hazards and get out when the guy in the Jeep Cherokee starts driving away. So, I grab a pen and start writing down the plate #. Then I see him pull off to the side of Belleview and the Dodge Intrepid tries to back up and out of the way of the flow of traffic.
The whole front end on the Dodge is crumpled up and there's fluid spilling everywhere, so I'm a little worried about the shape of the driver. I can also see the front quarter panel on the Jeep is dragging on the ground. But all the cars are just going around, and no one is trying to help these people.
Because of the position I was in, and the fact that if I got out of the car then, I'd be putting myself in danger as well, I decide the best thing I can do is call the whole thing in to 911 with my cell. And I was the first call.
I had to give the full intell on the scene so they could dispatch the cars. I pulled off to the side of the traffic and kept an eye on the scene as I relay the information to dispatch. And then she asks me... "Were you involved in the accident?" I had to tell her I was at least 4 cars back in the double turn lane and I just heard the sound. That I was simply the only person who stopped to see if they needed help. She took all my information anyway, just in case, since I seemed to have so so many details.
I was happy to relay the information, and I consider it my duty as a former EMS worker, and my responsibility as a citizen to render appropriate aide when and where I can. Even if it is nothing more than calling the right people into the situation and paying attention to the details, and keeping myself or others from adding to the problem. This is not the first time, and I doubt it will ever be the last, but it's just something I cannot ignore.
And for anyone else out on the road I can offer you one incredibly vital tip for surviving the perils of sharing the road. Always look and listen. The more you pay attention to the things around you, the better off you will be. You can control the quality of your driving skill, but that doesn't mean the other drivers will be as skilled. By paying attention to them, as well as your own actions, you give yourself that much more time to react. And that time will save your life, and the lives everyone else as well.