While driving home from summer school today, I saw a woman get hit by a car while crossing the street at the intersection of Granite and Elm. She was crossing against the light, but looked first. However, she wasn't showing any sense of urgency about getting across either. A car turning left onto Granite hit her, but not at full speed. The driver saw her at the last moment and hit his brakes. She fell into the hood of the car just as it stopped, and regained her balance just as she was about to roll off.
She was fine, but it was a near thing. I am convinced that a few milliseconds of driver response determined if she walked away or was taken away.
Here's the thing though: just a few moments before, I was watching a guy on the side of the street she was heading for as he waited for the light and I was thinking to myself, "You S.O.B., why did you hit the button? We're all stopped anyway." I was served a humbling reminder about being hasty, about paying attention, and most importantly, about judging others.
Reminds me of my old man and the shopping cart reaffirmation in some sort of higher power...
ReplyDeleteWow, though...crazy!
In 2009 my uncle was pulled over and charged with DUI the minute he left the bar. He was 73 and his first offense. He was placed on FIVE YEARS PROBATION. He had to walk to the court house once a month to check in. March 2009 it was -4 and he was walking to the court house. On his way home, he was hit by a guy driving a pick up truck pulling out of the driveway. Shocked but still feeling OK, he refused the guys offer to take him to the hospital. He walked home. He called a friend when he got home to come and take him to the hosp. to be checked as he wasn't feeling so good. She called 911 to get there before she could. He told the EMS guys that the guy that hit him tried to take him to the hospital, but he didn't want to bother him. En-route to the hospital, my uncle died.
ReplyDeleteTo this day, I will never EVER have a sip of alcohol and drive. Funny how inadvertently my uncles drinking and driving killed HIM.