I've heard for most of my life about how everyone in the United States has been over-stimulated in regard to violence. So much so that we might not be able to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. At least that was the argument whenever some kid shot his childhood friend, sibling or some other party seemingly without remorse in the news. "They simply couldn't tell the difference between reality and fantasy." There was a lot of this kind of talk when our country was experiencing the rash of school shootings during the late 90's and earlier this decade. I'm sure we all can recall hearing that talk at some time or other, probably more than once. Having heard the same thing most of my life, I don't know that I have an accurate point of reference to even compare the two. Unfortunately, I do now.
Yesterday evening, on our way to the grocery store, while waiting our turn at the traffic light outside our neighborhood, a jogger attempted to cross a major roadway. He was crossing at a time when the light changes to allow the cars in the turning lane to turn, stopping the flow of traffic in one direction and letting it continue in the other. I'm guessing now that the runner had never been this direction before and wasn't aware of how the traffic signals worked at this intersection. All I remember is hearing the sound of a collision and screeching brakes. I looked up to see the image of this young man in the air, next to a moving vehicle, then seeing him land and sliding to a stop in the gutter. Life changed for everyone at that corner in that brief moment.
I was thinking that this young man had fallen out of the bed of a pickup that just passed. My wife screamed "that boy was just hit by that car!" We pulled over to the parking lot at the corner and ran to his side. The boy was lying in the gutter face down and blood was clearly on his head and arms. He was breathing very labored breaths and his legs were shaking. In that second I realized, as surreal as the circumstances were, that what I was seeing was real.
Other people came to his aid as we did, calling 911, trying to comfort him as much as possible without moving him. Many people prayed openly and out loud, others told the boy to hang on, help was coming. Within minutes, possibly the fastest response I have ever seen, the Conroe Police and Fire Departments were on there administering aid. As they left, they told the crowd that gathered that the young man appeared to have good vitals, no broken bones and was regaining consciousness. Police questioned many of the people standing around to find those who were eye witnesses to find out exactly what had happened. Fortunately there was no shortage of witnesses. Unfortunately, the runner had no identification and no one present knew who he was. Someone mentioned as he was being loaded into the ambulance that his parents had no idea what had happened to their son. All I could think of was how this boy was literally all alone.
While all everything was going on at the corner, a mere 100 yards away was another scene. The crowd saw no sign of the driver who had hit the young man and assumed they had left the scene. Sentiment was rising against this person. "This was a hit and run" someone said. Another person said they saw the car turn into the parking lot next door. I looked over and could see the car. So, I walked to the parking lot and approached the vehicle. The windshield was caved in, lights on and engine running. The driver was shaking and in tears. Within moments, the police were there questioning her. There police were trying to determine who was at fault. The vehicle that hit the young man had a green light and the right of way. (As of today, there was no story in the local paper, no word on who was at fault or how the young man was doing or where he was.)
After we left the scene of the accident and went on our way, my wife told me to write about what we had seen. I asked her "what can I say?" After describing what we saw yesterday evening, I can't help but think how quickly life changed from normal to surreal in a matter of seconds. The runner was getting some exercise. The driver was on the way home from work. We were going to the grocery store for crying out loud.
The truth is we lead very hectic lives. If you're like me, you're probably running late and often that pesky traffic signal, if it catches you, means the difference between being on time or being late. What does it matter if I rush through the signal to beat it? That's what was happening yesterday. After seeing that, it's a good idea that I slow down a bit. Or, better yet, get an earlier start. If you're like me and you wonder if you could tell the difference between reality and fantasy, take it from me, you can tell the difference, but you don't want to see it. As the commercial says, "Life comes at you fast...". It can change in a moments' notice and change drastically.
I'm not really sure how to end this blog entry. I know I've been changed as a result of this experience. I guess I hope that no one who will read this will ever have to experience anything like it...or worse, think that it can't happen to them.
