Wednesday 8 September 2010

Sad accident

I noticed a lot of police around on a nearby dual carriageway. It seemed a few more than the average speeding offence would warrant, so I asked at the newsagent.

Around 5am, so the story goes, a joy rider comes belting along, runs a red light and clips a car of a driver going to work. The driver on his way to work is unhurt, apparently. The joy rider (I hate that term, but it is a convenient shorthand) spins out of control, flips over, sails over some concrete bollards at least two feet high, and lands in a garden set quite a way back from the dual carriageway, smashing into the porch. One of the people in the car runs off. The other is extremely badly injured and from the gossip going round (which could be exaggerated but the source was reliable) was not expected to survive.

The innocent driver may be unhurt, but I am willing to bet he is shocked, stressed and upset. And has to deal with all the insurance and the claims and the aggravation. The person who owns the house with the demolished porch has all the insurance and the builders and the worry that the house may no longer be as structurally sound as it was, not to mention the loss of the feeling of safety you have in your own home.

The person who was not expected to survive - what about their family? Did they leave children? A partner? And what potential was lost? Was this someone who could have saved someone from drowning? Been a kind face at a hard time that gave someone courage? Could they have been a good father or husband? Could they have at least been a bad example that stopped others from straying? Could their potential child have found a cure for cancer? Could they have found a cure for cancer? It is smoke in the wind.

I do not think that the car ride was worth it.

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