Car Accident
On Sunday I was the first person to arrive to a fatal car accident. It happened only a few seconds before I came upon it on I-17 just about one mile or so south of Sunset Point Rest Area headed toward Phoenix (one hour north of PHX). This is where the curves turn real sharp, and people don’t seem to slow down through these turns. As I was coming around one of the turns there was debris still flying all over the road and in the air. I smelled a strong scent of burnt rubber from the tires. Then I saw a car smashed into the mountainside to my left. I maneuvered my way through the rubbish to pull over. Another woman stopped right behind me. We got out and ran to the car and opened the door. It was awful. There were four young boys (maybe late teens, early 20’s). Two of the boys were thrown out of the back window (one of them was deceased). The other three all had bad head injuries, blood all over their faces, and bleeding from their ears -- moaning in pain. I grabbed a towel from inside my truck to place it under the head of one of the boys that we pulled out of the car. All I could do was comfort them, talk to them, and let them know they weren’t alone. Within the following five minutes an EMT, and two nurses arrived, and then the police.
I finally left the scene, and continued on to my destination. I was headed to 1130 The Restaurant to hang nine paintings for an upcoming art exhibition. It was all so surreal. My stomach ached, my heart was racing, and all I could think about was how much pain these boys were in, and all the lives that would be affected by this accident. The next morning I had an appointment with an offset printer in Phoenix; little did I know that I was still shaken up by the accident. When I got back into my truck I felt myself having a mild anxiety attack, (or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?), while I was traveling on the freeway. I kept imagining accidents happening all around me. I was driving at least 5 to 10 mph slower than everyone else, I was afraid to drive. I had never experienced that before. It was crazy! I was supposed to go back to Prescott that afternoon, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t make the drive. I was too freaked out. So I stayed over night at my mother’s house to let myself try to get over this. But even the next day I still felt anxious when I was driving.
Life is so fragile
On Sunday I was the first person to arrive to a fatal car accident. It happened only a few seconds before I came upon it on I-17 just about one mile or so south of Sunset Point Rest Area headed toward Phoenix (one hour north of PHX). This is where the curves turn real sharp, and people don’t seem to slow down through these turns. As I was coming around one of the turns there was debris still flying all over the road and in the air. I smelled a strong scent of burnt rubber from the tires. Then I saw a car smashed into the mountainside to my left. I maneuvered my way through the rubbish to pull over. Another woman stopped right behind me. We got out and ran to the car and opened the door. It was awful. There were four young boys (maybe late teens, early 20’s). Two of the boys were thrown out of the back window (one of them was deceased). The other three all had bad head injuries, blood all over their faces, and bleeding from their ears -- moaning in pain. I grabbed a towel from inside my truck to place it under the head of one of the boys that we pulled out of the car. All I could do was comfort them, talk to them, and let them know they weren’t alone. Within the following five minutes an EMT, and two nurses arrived, and then the police.
I finally left the scene, and continued on to my destination. I was headed to 1130 The Restaurant to hang nine paintings for an upcoming art exhibition. It was all so surreal. My stomach ached, my heart was racing, and all I could think about was how much pain these boys were in, and all the lives that would be affected by this accident. The next morning I had an appointment with an offset printer in Phoenix; little did I know that I was still shaken up by the accident. When I got back into my truck I felt myself having a mild anxiety attack, (or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?), while I was traveling on the freeway. I kept imagining accidents happening all around me. I was driving at least 5 to 10 mph slower than everyone else, I was afraid to drive. I had never experienced that before. It was crazy! I was supposed to go back to Prescott that afternoon, but I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t make the drive. I was too freaked out. So I stayed over night at my mother’s house to let myself try to get over this. But even the next day I still felt anxious when I was driving.
Life is so fragile
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