Accidents happen vs. An ounce of prevention

[ed the head]

I was driving my 15 yr old daughter home yesterday when we witnessed an
accident. I had one of those moments Malcolm Gladwell wrote about in 'Blink'.
It has caused me to labor over the question above.

We were coming into the left lane of a jug handle NJT entrance off the Goethels bridge. It had
begun raining and we were slowing down. There was a Blue Elantra in the left lane ahead of
us and it flashed through my mind that it was going too fast considering what at a glance
appeared to be borderline bald tires. The right lane was clear ahead and behind and a Green
Rio was parked disabled in the shoulder. I remember thinking that it was in a very bad location
relative to the centrifugal force of the oncoming traffic around the curve. Making matters worse,
two women were standing behind the Green Rio. My mind flashes safer scenarios, inside
the car, in front of the car, on the other side of the guardrail.

The Elantra starting breaking too late into the sharp curve and it's rear end skids and it's front end
smashes into and careens off of the left guardrail across both lanes of traffic smashing first into the
women, sending them flying over the railing and then into the Rio. The driver of the crippled Elantra
manages to park it just in front of the Rio as I am in the process of witnessing/passing/stopping/parking
with my daughter saying with urgency 'you haveto STOP we parked about 15-20M away and both
jumped the rail with me dialing 911 and helping my daughter attend to the two wounded women.

Off topic, but worthy of mention is the extraordinary performance of my daughter. Recently she considered
nursing as a potential future career path. Watching her cool headedness, her compassion and ability
to calm and comfort, simply amazing. She never lost her cool and I recognized that members of the
local police, state police, and emt's were surprised that she was 15. She made me really proud and
I am sure she made God smile.

But back to the topic: Accidents Happen Vs. An Ounce of Prevention

1. Bald Tires X Speeding X (through a jug handle) X (in the early rain) = near 100% chance of loss of control
2. Standing X (behind your disabled car) X (in between oncoming traffic) and X (the guardrail) = least safe place

The factors multiplied each other simultaneously and coincided in tragedy.

In hindsight, I think in this instance an ounce of prevention on behalf of either parties is the lesson
to be had. This, and many accidents are preventable by being more mindful and responsible for factors
like tire condition, speed, weather conditions, and the dangers traffic present to person standing on the shoulder.

In the end, this is a shout out to all you ACD peeps to PLEASE continue to be mindful and aware and careful
ALWAYS but ESPECIALLY when you breakdown on the road, it is EXTREMELY dangerous.

Peace
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/0 ... ition.html

[Nimrod]

Your daughter's actions are a reflection of the values you have instilled.

Well done.

[redeyezman]

Thats why Goodyear's advertising for the longest time has been:

"Because so much is riding on your tires."

There isn't a single more important safety feature on other than breaks maybe. Kudos for being a good semaritian!

[ed the head]

Your daughter's actions are a reflection of the values you have instilled.

Well done.

That Sir is a wonderful compliment, thank you! In light of recent negative press regarding the use of cannabis while driving it may be worth noting that I under the influence avoided the accident and instead watched in horror as two sets of people that were most likely 'straight' displaying reckless behaviors.

Thats why Goodyear's advertising for the longest time has been:

"Because so much is riding on your tires."

There isn't a single more important safety feature on other than breaks maybe. Kudos for being a good semaritian!

AMEN! I think you are absolutely right. Brakes, obviously, bad or no brakes + 1 slope in the wrong direction and you have immediate disaster. No doubt. Second only to this is tire with good tread. Tires are the one component you should never scrimp on. Good tires make a WORLD of difference.

Thanks for your compliment, its hard not to I feel awful about what happened. The one woman lost her foot a little above the ankle. It was present nearby in her boot and I think a lot of progress has been made in this area but still she may well lose that foot. I read today she is only 24 years old. One of the supervising EMT's asked me if I had put a tourniquet on it and I felt very guilty for not doing so. I understood from the nature of the wound that significant blood loss was likely resulting but perhaps over rationalizing the situation, I assessed that since she was thrown and lying with her head downhill on a significant slope leaving her wound on a significant upward incline, it was better not to disturb it and instead keep her calm and immobile. In hindsight, maybe I should have applied a tourniquet. Can we settle on kudos for being an imperfect and over rationalizing Samaritan with Good intentions?

[Nimrod]

One of the supervising EMT's asked me if I had put a tourniquet on it...

A perfect scenario for a bandanna. I always carry at least one. A belt or part of a seatbelt works too.

Don't beat yourself up for stopping and trying to help. Many people would not have even stopped. The side of a busy road can be a dangerous place, especially how you described. The victim put herself in a bad position and should have been more aware.

[ed the head]

One of the supervising EMT's asked me if I had put a tourniquet on it...

A perfect scenario for a bandanna. I always carry at least one. A belt or part of a seatbelt works too.

Don't beat yourself up for stopping and trying to help. Many people would not have even stopped. The side of a busy road can be a dangerous place, especially how you described. The victim put herself in a bad position and should have been more aware.

Thanks again. I had materials at my disposal to rig something up, but now the supportive comments and the fact that she is alive today help me rationalize the situation.

[spireax]

Hey Ed, as part of work I do an outdoor first aid course, dealing with lumberjacking, chainsaws that kind of thing, and we teach not to apply tourniquets unless it's a choice between life or limb. Seems like she didn't die so you did good

[ed the head]

Hey Ed, as part of work I do an outdoor first aid course, dealing with lumberjacking, chainsaws that kind of thing, and we teach not to apply tourniquets unless it's a choice between life or limb. Seems like she didn't die so you did good

I really LOVE this forum, kind, compassionate, and helpful cannabis users
supporting one another. LOVE ALSO the signature Lightly Seared On The Reality Grill

[spidergawd]

Thanks for sharing that, man those situations bring you down to earth with a crunch, no pun intended, your daughter sounds great and you've a right to be proud. . Thats good stoner parenting.
We've got 3 grown up daughters and they make me feel good whenever I see them. .

[ed the head]

Thanks for sharing that, man those situations bring you down to earth with a crunch, no pun intended, your daughter sounds great and you've a right to be proud. . Thats good stoner parenting.
We've got 3 grown up daughters and they make me feel good whenever I see them. .

Thanks Mate.

I called the hospital, they both have visiting hours. Rachel (leg) regular hours and Catherine (head) limited hours so the good news is they're both ALIVE but Catherine has a way to go yet

I have to be reasonably nearby the hospital this coming Friday, do you think it is too weird to show up for a visit? I thought maybe I could drop by with some flowers and well wishes. I don't know what hospital/insurance policy is for serious trauma injuries as these two poor women suffered, but in general they're in a rush to get you out of the hospital as soon as possible, often same day even for surgeries.

Your thoughts oh trusted fellow stoners?

[spidergawd]

I reckon unless they're your neighbors, I'd suggest a card and maybe a modest bunch of flowers and let them make contact with you . I dont know man it's your call .
How are you and Florence (Nightingale )? I'm sure it's left you both a bit shaken up.

I remember when I did a heavy vehicle maintenance course many years ago the instructor, an ex army man said on the first day. "Right the first thing we need to do is make sure they steer where you want them to go, and the bastards stop when required, the rest of the vehicle is luxuries". . Something like that anyway, it was a long time ago.

[Cupcake Diva]

Its so lovely that you had a moment of seeing your daughter reacting so well in what is a horrendous situation

Also wanted to add that if you are around and want to go in and visit I absolutely would. I think its a great thing to do

H x

[ed the head]

How are you and Florence (Nightingale )? I'm sure it's left you both a bit shaken up.

My daughter (Rachel) is doing remarkable well. It's eerie to me that Rachel is also the name of the woman with the leg injury, who bears a striking resemblance to my firstborn daughter. I thought I was fine until I exited the subway this morning and saw all the young women wearing boots and images of the poor victim made tears well up again. Spring can't come fast enough, i am eagerly looking forward to the end of boot season.

Its so lovely that you had a moment of seeing your daughter reacting so well in what is a horrendous situation
Also wanted to add that if you are around and want to go in and visit I absolutely would. I think its a great thing to do

Yep, she made me very proud. About the visit, I misread the appointment, which turns out to be a teleconference I Facebook messaged the 1st friend on her list (1049!) who was kind enough to write back and inform me that the news was out among her friends which was a huge relief to me.

[ed the head]

http://www.heron.nhs.uk/information/men ... f-help.pdf

I found this link yesterday on traumatic stress reactions and things you can do for self help. In researching this, I noticed and example of the stark (and dark) difference between the U.S's Profit based Healthcare system and the U.K's socialized medicine.

I did a Google search for "post traumatic stress", but Google instead listed myriads of links relating to "post traumatic stress disorder". I didn't want to wait for the disorder to develope so I searched long and hard and the ONLY information I could find for 'self help', ie early treatment, was from the UK! I could find nothing local to my country besides DISORDER links. There is very simply and sadly no profit motive in preventing stress trauma victims from moving to the 'disorder' stage so in the US it is simply not on the radar. As in too many other aspects of American life, the rule is every man for himself and don't count on any aspect of society to help you, if you can't help yourself FUCK YOU.

Thank God for
[A] the Internet and
Socialized medicine

[cattales1960]

Thanks for sharing that, man those situations bring you down to earth with a crunch, no pun intended, your daughter sounds great and you've a right to be proud. . Thats good stoner parenting.
We've got 3 grown up daughters and they make me feel good whenever I see them. .

Thanks Mate.

I called the hospital, they both have visiting hours. Rachel (leg) regular hours and Catherine (head) limited hours so the good news is they're both ALIVE but Catherine has a way to go yet

I have to be reasonably nearby the hospital this coming Friday, do you think it is too weird to show up for a visit? I thought maybe I could drop by with some flowers and well wishes. I don't know what hospital/insurance policy is for serious trauma injuries as these two poor women suffered, but in general they're in a rush to get you out of the hospital as soon as possible, often same day even for surgeries.

Your thoughts oh trusted fellow stoners?

I worked in a trauma ICU for many years and I have seen it happen alot when the saviors come to check on the patients. word of advice alot of ICUs do not allow live flowers so maybe balloons or something is betterl