Thursday, July 31, 2014

Another 911 call...really????

Those who know us; know that our family is no stranger to drama. Despite our best efforts; we try to lead a quiet and normal life. For some reason, we seem to be involved in far too many life altering experiences. If not in our own lives but now in the lives of others. I was just leaving work yesterday afternoon, when I received a text about a roll over that occurred right in front of our house. From the few brief messages, it sounded fairly spectacular. When I arrived home there were no less than 8 RCMP cars parked in front of my house. I was very grateful to have been given a warning about this as if I had come home without knowing the circumstance I would have likely been a little freaked. This wouldn't be the first time an ambulance was called to our home. It became quite evident that the accident resulted in a fatality. The accident was witnessed by our kids and I could tell immediately they were quite unnerved by the situation. Kids have an interesting way of making situations very real. When they are upset they are pretty good at conveying their feelings.
This was a really sad incident as in this situation the driver was thrown out of the vehicle and was obviously not wearing a seatbelt. When we got a look at the vehicle, and the damage, it became very evident that if the driver were wearing a seatbelt they would have had a fighting chance of surviving. It's quite frustrating to see a situation like that and realize that it might have been preventable. I think everyone takes different things from a tragedy like this. I think it is really important to take situations like this and try to learn from them. The most obvious lesson, was the discussion we had with our kids and the reminder to them why we, as parents, insist on them being properly strapped in to their car seats and the importance of buckling up. After looking at some of the pictures that were taken. I noticed something interesting. A group of 5 people standing next to an ambulance in the aftermath of the incident. These people were the people who were travelling on Hwy 202 and saw the accident and stopped to help. I have no idea who these people are but I think they are typical of many people who see a catastrophe and without thinking, stop and help. There is no thought put into this. No consideration of age, race, or belief. These people stopped, pulled the victim out of harm's way and attempted to perform CPR. There is so much negativity in the world, it is worth noting how people come together in a time of crisis. In the end, their efforts probably could never have helped this person but they tried and they undoubtedly will be remember this day for the rest of their lives. On a more personal note, as my wife and I discussed the events of the evening we were saddened by the fact that the victim, in this situation, likely died instantly, and could not have the opportunity to become an organ donor. This is an issue that it is very important to us. Many times we hear of accidents, such as this one, and we think that some good could come from it. When you have someone close to you have their lives saved by such an organ donation you do look at the world a little differently. It is also a reminder of how unique organ donation is. For an organ donation to be possible; so many circumstances have to be just right. For emergency personnel at a crash site, the thought of organ donation would never enter into the equation. That is a consideration and decision made a long way from a crash scene, as it should be. We have come to the realization how special and unique the organ donation we received truly was.