Topic: Just Saw A Horrible Accident

[nickclone]

So my friend and I are coming home from work, I went to the grocery store to grab some beer. I always drink on the way home while she drives, so as we're at the intersection, I reach down to get my beer and I hear a loud bang/smash sound. I thought my friend turned on the radio and it was really loud because it sounded like a guitar riff. When I look at her she seems startled and scared, I look up just in time to see debris and a car come flying past us and another come headed straight for us with sparks flying everywhere. The car stops and instantly catches on fire, I mean it was like it was out of the movies, I've never seen a car burn like that before in my life. So I tell her to back up in case this car near us explodes, she can't go back, so she turns at the intersection and I get out to help.

As I'm running up there I here screaming, the people in the car are helping their friend get out whose head is on fire. You heard me, his head was on fire. When I get there they have his head put out, but he just kind of passes out near the car. I tell them we need to move him away from this car which seriously looked like it was going to explode. After we helped him, I saw another girl lying in the street with a small pool of blood near her head, even though she was closer to the car than I would've liked, we found it best not to move her. After that, there was nothing left for me to do, so my friend and I left.

My friend was pretty freaked out, she was also disturbed that she was more concerned about getting away from the car than getting out to help. Anyways, I hope those kids are ok.

[Ace_O_Spades]

Jesus. Fucking. Christ. That is intense. Dude, wow. She's not wrong to want to get herself to safety before helping. That's what I would do, and she isn't wrong. Holy crap dude.

[nickclone]

Yeah, she was really scared and crying on the way home, not hysterically, but tearing up. She doesn't cry very often so I know she was upset.

You want to hear something really dumb? After the car was on fire and before we turned, I looked at the car and didn't see anyone and I seriously thought for a moment: "Is there anyone in that car?".

[Ace_O_Spades]

Yeah, she was really scared and crying on the way home, not hysterically, but tearing up. She doesn't cry very often so I know she was upset.

You want to hear something really dumb? After the car was on fire and before we turned, I looked at the car and didn't see anyone and I seriously thought for a moment: "Is there anyone in that car?".

When I got in my car accident, I hit my head on the wheel so hard, when I got out of the car I tried to get back in my mangled car and start it up, even though my radiator was a geyser of radiator fluid.

Stress does fucked up things to people.

[nickclone]

When I got in my car accident, I hit my head on the wheel so hard, when I got out of the car I tried to get back in my mangled car and start it up, even though my radiator was a geyser of radiator fluid.

Stress does fucked up things to people.

I've gotten used to a lot of things, but getting into car accidents really freak me out. I don't have a license at the moment, but if I did, I wouldn't want to drive.

One of the things that really disturbed me, was the people who didn't help. I mean, there is a girl lying in the street, the car on fire me and another guy carrying someone and people just sat in their cars.

[nickclone]

Here is a link to the story: http://www2.insidenova.com/news/2010/nov/20/driver-charged-fatal-gainesville-crash-ar-666629/

So the whole time I was helping carry the driver away from the car, the girl in the street was dead and there was another person trapped in the back seat that I didn't know about.

[idolminds]

Holy shit, thats crazy.

[Cobra951]

Man, we really need to bring back public executions.  What a consummate bastard.

[nickclone]

You know whats weird, I didn't remember it until someone mentioned it, but there was also a dog in the car that ran into me...on fire. The dog was ok, but its weird how I didn't remember that until someone else mentioned it.

[Quemaqua]

Man, that's seriously nuts.  Sorry you had to go through all that... and even more sorry someone had to cause it in the first place.  Should be a lesson to everyone.

[nickclone]

Thanks, I'm ok, but my friend is now having trouble sleeping at night.

[Pugnate]

Reading that news article sent chills down my spine. What a harrowing experience it must have been for you and your friend, just to witness something like that.

It reminded me of some of the accidents I've seen here. Because poorer people can't afford cars, there is a vast number of cheap suzuki motorcycles in this city. Some of them are often carrying entire families! Unfortunately, most people riding bikes don't pay any attention to the rules, and don't like wearing helmets.

I think I've already mentioned how a guy, his wife, and two infant kids were on a bike before they hit the rear of my standstill car, and landed on a pile of rocks on the side of the road. There was blood everywhere, and one of the kids had his arm crushed as a result, but they all survived at least. It was one of the worst experiences in my life. I had trouble sleeping that night.

I have seen a fatality in another incident. Actually, when I was passing by, I saw an overturned bike with a guy lying on the sidewalk surrounded by a group of people. The guy was bleeding from the forehead profusely, and his head was -- not exaggerating -- just shaking like something in a blender... like he was possessed. I later read that he had died. It was terrible.

The other accident I didn't see happen, but again, passed the aftermath of, involved three teens on a single motorbike. They were speeding to somewhere and tried to pass through a tiny gap between two moving minibuses. Well, one of the bus drivers didn't realize someone was on his side, and turned suddenly, crushing the three kids on the bike between the other bus like pancakes.

One accident I did see happen, and again it involved a kid on a bike. We were all waiting at the red light, with me in my car, and a minibus on my left. A kid just came straight and smashed head first into the back of the bus. I think he had lost control or something, and basically, his head was just completely covered in blood. I don't think I've every seen so much blood. Some taxi driver came to his rescue, but I don't know what happened next. It was like something out of mortal kombat.

I do remember GPW telling us about the time he was working on the highway, and he witnessed a crazy accident where a biker lost his leg. Crazy stuff.

[gpw11]

I do remember GPW telling us about the time he was working on the highway, and he witnessed a crazy accident where a biker lost his leg. Crazy stuff.

I saw a lot of accidents when I worked there, and that was probably where the worst injury came out of (that I witnessed).  My friend got the worst end of it though.

I remember your story Pug, and I think I even repeated it to someone, it was so fucked up.

To be honest, I've probably seen enough accidents that I'm partially desensitized to them (barring the human factor), but that's just fucked up Nick.  What you did was commendable, and it sucks about your friend, but they really shouldn't blame themselves. Whenever shit like that happens, people react differently, and I don't think it's a character flaw or trait, but more of a reflection of where they are in that precise moment of time and how they percieve things.  In one accident on the highway myself and two co-workers witnessed, a car flipped and two of us ran up there, the other guy was like "Well, what the fuck am I going to do?" and didn't.  He felt bad about it later, but it's not like he's a bad guy or a coward, he just didn't see the need and (he admitted) partially froze up.  Yet, I've also seen him act pretty quickly in other situations that could cause some to freeze.

It's tragic that there was a loss of life, not least of which because your friend probably will find a way to blame herself. You should probably find a way to stress that that's not the case.

But seriously, who the fuck drives on PCP?  I don't know if I mentioned this here, but when I wrapped my car around a pole I would have hit three pedestrians if that pole was not there.  Three pedestrians that I knew pretty well (well, two of them at least) and just happened to be there.  It was a fucking eye opener.

[Ace_O_Spades]

What struck me is that I've read SO many news releases like that, and I've never thought about what exactly the people went through. I bet the driver will wish he were killed in the accident at some point in the near future.

[Cobra951]

I think I've told this story before.  Happened mid-late 70s.  Driving home from Ohio State U, straight boring ride on I-71 from Columbus to Cincinnati.  As I was coming up to one of those frequent short bridges on interstates, I see this car in the left lane drift off into the median.  It hits the angled guardrail and bounces like a pinball across the road and head-on into the concrete wall of the bridge.  Thing folds up like a cardboard box and spins around twice.  This whole time I'm nailing the brakes, and I came to a stop maybe 50 feet before it did.  Then this girl stumbles out with blood coming out of her nose, and she just falls down in a seated position against the wall.  I pull over and sprint to her.  Her nose is busted up pretty bad, but she doesn't seem to be dying or anything.  Remember, 70s.  No cell phones.  CB radios in trucks are mobile communications for the masses.  A semi happens by, real slowly now, since traffic is down to one lane, and everyone gawks.  I look at the driver and tap my ear a couple of times.  He understands and nods his head.  I talked to the girl for a short while, tell her help is on the way.  Cop shows up after that, ambulance follows.  She looks at me for a second, and holds my hand; then she's in the ambulance, and the doors shut.  Didn't get her name.  Things seemed to happen in dizzyingly quick succession.  Took time thinking about it afterward to sort it all out.  Wow.  Only in the movies?  Not always.

Edit:  Oh, the cause.  She fell asleep at the wheel.  Hadn't slept at all the night before.

[PyroMenace]

Most horrific wreck I saw was the day I got my driver's license. Heading down the interstate to get home with my dad. Heard a bang like thunder, on the opposite side of the interstate going the other way was a semi with trailer on its side skidding down along the concrete, lots of sparks and smoke. My dad and I looked and I almost couldn't believe it.

[Pugnate]

How can anyone fall asleep at the wheel? I guess the thing is that I've never driven on a huge road trip so it isn't a situation I can relate to.

[scottws]

I've fallen asleep at the wheel on numerous occasions.  All when I was coming home from work.  Never hit anything, yet.

[nickclone]

My friend who is an EMT (wasn't on the scene, but knew the people who were), also knew the people in the car. They all worked together, except for the girl who was the driver's girlfriend. However, the older guy in the backseat had an old kerosene heater and they were going to pick up some kerosene for him. I guess they had a can in the trunk which would explain the insane amount of instant fire that happened.