Today, I decided to go to John's auto parts to see if I could find a fender for my car. As I strolled down the row that had the Chrysler cars I couldn't help but noticed the blown out airbags and the single and sometimes double glass breakages. I remarked to another gentleman who was there for the same reason how if these cars could talk there would a tragic tale to be told.
I wondered if the occupants in these cars with the broken windshields had survived, or whether they died upon impact. It occurred to me that when we are driving on the highways we think of ourselves as invincible. Walking through this salvage yard somehow dissolve any such thought. I wonder how many of these people who once drove these cars were in a hurry to get home, or get to work and then wondered if some of them simply never made it to where they intended to go. I wondered if there were children in these cars.
If they hit their windshields upon impact there was no doubt that injuries were the result of the accident. Depending whether they chose to wear their seat belt or not determined whether they were held inside, or thrown from the car. The aftermath had to be chaotic for the survivors of these cars. Aching and blood soaked these individuals try to wake up their friends who are laying their lifeless and caked with blood. They slip into a surreal world of shock as they discovered that some of their friends were already dead.
Within moments the survivors could hear sirens heading their way as they slowly come to the reality that they had been in an accident. Panic begins to set in with some of the occupants in these cars of twisted metal with crying being heard from some of them. Some of them were wishing that this was merely a scene that could be redone. . But, this wasn't a play nor a movie scene. It was reality and they are in this accident.
In a small fraction of a second a driver can go from enjoying life and looking positively toward the future to passing from life to death. In a split second the family of the newly deceased can go from enjoying life and planning family reunions to grappling with their grief and wondering how to make it day after day.
Police officers and the ambulance crew are now at the scene of the horrific crash. Looking in they see the lifeless body of the driver, the semi-unconscious passengers and the panic and hysteria stricken baby and young child in the back seat. Like professionals who have seen this scene again and again these police officers and emergency personnel take control of the situation while the world within the car loses control. They quickly size up the situation and within minutes the occupants are transferred from the twisted metal of what once was a car into the ambulances that responded.
Night after night these professionals in blue take control of situations like these while people involved are going into shock. Recently,we had a chance to see our men in blue when a lone gun man unleashed a reign of terror at a midnight opening of Dark Knight rises in Aurora, Colorado. They demonstrated to the world that they are master's at taking control of any situation whether it is at the scene of a horrific car accident, or terror at a movie theater.
I found the fender I needed for the car I am driving, but with this simple purchase I developed a new sense of appreciation for our men and woman who respond to these horrific scenes. Thank you men in blue for responding to these horrific scenes and thank you for responding to our family the night of June 10, 2007 when our family went into shock and panic with the sudden loss of our little girl.
I
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