FknBucky

I have this story that I want to get out, but not really sure how to start so I’ll just do as I always do. Write the first things that come to mind until I can get into it. Life is funny in how it all works out. One day I’m 15, I know everything, and then I wake up at 36 and realize I still don’t know shit. How does this happen?? I have no idea, but somehow all the “old” people in my life that tried to explain things to me when I was younger aren’t as stupid as I once thought.

You see the other night my younger brother and I were watching TV when his wife ran into the room and said “I think I just heard an accident.” We all just kind of looked at each other for a moment, but then sure enough his radio went off. He and his wife are on the volunteer fire department in Lower Alabama. She is a trauma nurse in Mobile and he works for a funeral home. Good person to know if you have anger issues.

The radio said a car was in the ditch and my brother left. The accident was only about a quarter mile from us on the highway that runs in front of his house. This is where things get serious and why I had trouble figuring out how to write this out. You see there were four kids in the car that wrecked and they were just out having fun like all of us did many many times before.

There was 2 girls and 2 guys in the car with a boy about 24 years old driving. They cruised by my brothers house and might have been going a bit faster than the posted speed limit, but who isn’t guilty of that. A dog was in the middle of the road and the driver of the car decided to swerve and miss the dog at the last second. This is something that you should never do. Hit the dog. Any of you that know me know I love my dog like a child, but if she was standing in the road and you can’t stop in time, you have to hit the dog. Swerving leads to much worse consequences. In this true story though the driver swerved and lost control. He went left and then hard right ending up in a big grassy ditch.

The grass was wet and no real traction to be had there. This isn’t a movie or a video game. It is real life and shit happens very fast without a warning. That is why you need to pound certain things into your kids heads while you have the chance and pray that they listen. I never listened and I think back wondering how in the hell did I survive?? I never wore my seatbelt and always said “I don’t want live if I’m all messed up.” How ironic is that?? Well this car could not control where it was going and hit a very large cement telephone pole. These poles do not give and the car stopped immediately.

The driver hurt his arm a bit, but was able to get out of the car. My brother showed up a few moments after it happened and described it to me later. The girl that was in the front passenger seat was not wearing her seatbelt. She was ejected from the car through the windshield. He checked her pulse immediately and could not detect one. This is when he got on the radio and said they may need a flight for life helicopter and there might possible fatalities so others coming to the scene would know what to expect. In other words things are very bad. Everyone hurry up. My sister in-law handed me their new baby and raced out of the house knowing she was needed on scene. The boy in the back seat had severe head trauma and was not able to comprehend what was going on.

The girl in the back seat was injured, but not life threatening. I had a very sick feeling while I was holding the baby and waiting for news on what was going on at the accident. The girl who had been thrown from the car started to gasp for breath a few moments after not having a pulse and my brother was there to help her until paramedics arrived. Being in that situation is awful enough, but to be there alone would be much worse. Please remember to support your local volunteers as they are regular people that can instantly be put into very hard positions. The girl was 17, smart, well liked in school and the community, and only guilty of not wearing a seatbelt. She did not live. Her last name was McKinley although no relation to my brother or I.

The boy in the back seat was her boyfriend for the last 2 years and was 16. He was not wearing a seatbelt and after some time passed with the volunteer firemen using the Jaws of life to get him out, he was on his way to the hospital. He and his girlfriend spent 2 hours fighting for their lives. Both of them passed away. There was no alcohol in the car or in anyones system. They were simply out riding around and swerved to miss that dog which cost them their lives. It bothered me greatly as I pass by that pole everyday and if they had been 5 feet to either side they would have missed it, hit some small trees/shrubs, and hopefully have lived to tell about it later.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to write about this, but I felt like I had to. First to get it out of my head as it is the only way I know how, also to help you start the conversation about wearing seat belts, and teach those you love to not swerve their cars. Real life has real consequences and I felt truly sick thinking about those poor parents that were going to be woken up at 2 AM to be told the one thing every parent fears the most. Lives were ruined in a split second. It is truly a tragedy. The boy who was driving the car is in real bad sorts. He can’t get over the fact he was the one driving and if he doesn’t it will certainly kill him as well.

http://www.al.com/news/mobile/index.ssf/2015/01/teen_couple_killed_in_fatal_ca.html

I can’t pretend to know what its like to be in his shoes, but I pray he finds a way to deal with the demons. It was simply an accident and sometimes the only reason is there is no reason. Have the conversation with your loved ones and make sure they understand that seat belts matter, swerving is not your first option, and speed limits are there for the things you don’t see. If you are driving a car make sure everyone buckles up as it is you that will “feel” responsible regardless. Driving fast seems easy when the roads are clear, but when the unknown happens YOU CAN’T STOP. And most importantly tell those around you that you love them every chance you get. It makes you and them feel better unless you’re on a first date. That can make dessert awkward.

Fknbucky