"Look both ways..."

I can still hear the words of my mom, or any other influential adult in my early childhood life. It is one of the basic rules of commuting on foot. "Look both ways before you cross the street." I have tried to teach my own children this simplest of rules. Over the past two months I have had to care for 3 people who were hit by moving vehicles the following is a brief summary of their stories.

1. While trying to stop a tow truck driver from taking his truck, a young man was run over. The details of why and how it happened are sketchy, but one thing is certain, the tow truck won. The guy had road rash over face, a broken collar bone, a broken femur, tibia, and fibula and possible basilar skull fracture. The good thing, he was still alive and going strong when we got there. It is never a good idea to stand in front of a moving vehicle. The bad thing, the tow truck driver fled the scene. Is there such a thing as an honest or honorable tow truck driver?

2. After getting high on an unknown pharmacological agent, a violent and erratic man was tased by police officers to subdue him. One of our ambulances was called to transport him to the ER for injuries sustained from the being tased and falling. As soon as the ambulance was leaving the scene, this muscular, drug crazed maniac broke loose from the backboard and jumped out the back of the ambulance. Our guys did the right thing and called for police to come get him and called for a supervisor. The man broke into a few apartments to hide and once he was found he became a track star and ran in his boxers and white air force ones across the ever busy Hwy 59 in the dark- just like the classic arcade game, Frogger. The man almost made it across before being flattened by a car travelling 70mph +. He was still breathing, but barely. We began to "work" him and cerebral spinal fluid began pouring out of his eyes and nose. Needless to say, he didn't make it. In addition to "look both ways", "just say no."

3. This last one was tough. A kindergartner and his mother were walking in the crosswalk right in front of their school when they were hit by a guy who stopped at the stop sign and did not see them. The kid ended up under the car. When we arrived, the kid was fighting and trying to get out of his c-collar and back board. We hopped in the back of the ambulance and got to the ER fast. Maybe faster than ever. He sustained multiple injuries, was breathing, moaning and fighting, the whole way to the ER. As soon as we opened the doors of the ambulance at the bay, it all ceased. No pulse, no breathing, no movement, nothing. We started CPR and let the Drs and nurses do all they could for about 45 min, but nothing worked. It was his time. The worst part came when I stopped by the room to drop off my record. The mother who was also hit in the incident was holding her lifeless child telling him it was going to be okay. I can't imagine the pain she was feeling and no doubt is still feeling.

In this job, I've seen plenty of adults breathe their last breath. None of them affected me to the degree I was affected by this. I struggled to keep my composure. I wanted to cry, but still had to remain professional and manly. In five years, this was the first time I watched as a kid died, the first time I had to try to revive one. It was by far the toughest day I've ever had at work-emotionally. We had to go to mandatory counseling, which was awesome. I highly recommend it. After some rest and a good cry, I was ready to get back on the horse.

Life is unpredictable. One day you're here, the next day you're gone. One moment, you are getting high, the next minute you're not as fast as you thought. One moment, you are trying to keep your car from being towed, the next you're fighting for your life. One morning you are walking your kid to school the next you are an empty nester. We don't know what the future holds. Death changes your outlook on life. Relationships are what matter the most. Spend time with your loved ones. Make time for them. Tell them you love them. Hug them until they make you let go. More important than loving your friends and family is being certain of your eternity, your life after death and having a relationship with your Creator. For God so loved the world...