So, yesterday started with a bang.
I was on my way to work, enjoying my lovely morning bicycle commute. I was going down a street that connects to the bicycle path that takes me most of the way to the college when I noticed some traffic conjestion a few yards ahead.
I'm harumphing in my head because a car has pulled into the bike lane in front of me, and as I work out my strategy for getting around the car and onto the bike path, I realize something is awry.
Looking to the other side of the street, that's when I saw him. A person lying motionless in the bicycle lane, a toppled bicycle a few feet beside them.
Ah, I put it together. There's been an accident - most likely a bicyclist hit by a car. I stopped, dismounted, and headed over to the motionless person.
It was eerie to me the way he wasn't moving, but his eyes were wide wide open, not looking at anything in particular. As I got closer, a rather distraught woman tells me, "I hit him... I didn't see him..."
She goes on about her baby in the car and is clearly agitated. Other witnesses have called 9-1-1, so I lean down to the injured cyclist. There's blood streaked across his face, a small pool of blood on the pavement, and he has a deep deep wound right to the outside of his left wide-open eye.
"It's okay", I say. "You're gonna be all right". I could be totally full of sh*t, but it seems like the thing I should say to him.
"Where does it hurt?", I ask, really just wondering if he can respond. In a slothlike fashion, he raises one arm so his hand is toward his head. He has yet to say anything. I'm somewhat relieved to see he can move a limb.
"What is your name?", my next quiz.
A rather slurred "Alex" comes out, just slightly above a whisper.
To be continued...
...because I have to go to work. But I wanted to start to blog this down because I felt weird the whole day yesterday afterward.
Bottom line: WEAR A HELMET and stop at sketchy intersections.
9 comments:
Oh I hope this has a very good ending. Be safe out there!
Was the woman that hit him the person who stopped in front of you? I also hope that Alex is all right...
Oh dear Lord! That is terribly upsetting to state the obvious! Alex was lucky to have you stop by at least- Dear lad, I hope he makes it without suffering brain damage. Thank you so much for stopping and offering comfort! LOVE
Peggy, I left / got out of the way shortly after the paramedics arrived. I hope Alex is okay.
John, no, the woman who hit him was going the opposite direction as me, and she pulled over on that side of the street. The car that pulled into my lane had just witnessed the collision and was pulling over to stop. I'm wondering how Alex is doing today.
Linda Sue, it was so eerie, the way he wasn't moving. Should be flooded with adrenaline, right? And the poor woman who hit him...
You did good, Abby.
Sounds like he was in shock? (Blood pressure drops, etc. so the person would not be moving.) It can shock a helper -witness such as yourself too—take good care of yourself ❤️
PS Thank you for being kind on behalf of the humans.
Wow. That's traumatic. I hope the guy is okay, too. You did the right thing, from what I remember in all of my first aid classes, reassure the victim no matter how bad it looks to you.
Hope is he is okay. The lady sounds selfish. She has no reason to be agravated. She probably wasn't focused on the road. But who knows. I wasn't there. Hoping he's okay though.
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