About a month ago a couple around my age pulled into the gas station on my beat while I was at work. They filled up their pickup but as they were getting ready to leave, the truck wouldn't start. I was in a rare "Officer Friendly" mood and helped push the truck over into a parking space. I asked them where they needed to go and they replied they only had a mile to go up Athens Rd. I offered a ride and it was politely but firmly declined, they'd prefer to walk...
And off they go. About twenty minutes later all hell breaks loose at the FD and rescue squad. Apparently a pedestrian was struck by an oncoming vehicle... Since it was close I decided to follow and see if I could be of some assistance. It was when I reached the scene I realized it was the man who I had just tried to give a ride too. It was a messy one. He was definitely deader that shit when I got there and his wife was going absolutely ape...
I could imagine. I know how I would feel. I did my best to comfort the woman, but in the end I was really no help. I kept thinking I really should have given them a ride.
Insisted.
But then, yesterday morning while at work I read the Bluefield Daily Telegraph and see this article...
Tonight I'm most probably going to be voted in to the Athens Fire Dept. as a member and the only thing I can think of right now is the irony of the fact that this 'accident' was the impetus for me to volunteer in the first place...
Copyright 2005 Thomas J Wolfenden
10 comments:
Kat: It wasn't so much as it not being appropriate, just that it was too open-ended. A lot of unknowns involved at the time. That and it brought back some really painful images that I really didn't want to remember at the time. I'm sure I'll enjoy serving my new home is some capacity here with the FD... And I'm positive that I'll find it as rewarding as you do.
H.O.L.Y S.H.I.T!!!
Wow. Quite a story.
That is toally Effed up.
OMG--that is some craziness!!
Wow - that would definitely mess with my head! And believe me, it takes a LOT to do so!! ;) Write it off as fate, Tom, you did what you were supposed to do, and didn’t do what you WEREN’T supposed to, and the end result is strictly on the wife. But it kind of makes you wonder what kind of guy the husband was…
Damn! That's all I can say.
Sounds like they would have declinded even if you had insisted. Doesn't seem like there's anything you could have done, so I hope you're not "woulda shoula-ing."
Damn.
Some people can be so whacked out.
It's easy to say 'Don't feel bad,' but if this woman had enough issues to push another human into oncoming traffic, she would have found a way to do it no matter what.
Geez Louise! I don't even know what else to say, man.
HOLY MOLY! Crazy ass world we live in.
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