Just don't. Don't be stupid and get people killed.

I'm going to put this down while it's still fresh in my memory

I just got home.

The highway I take home after the bar closes, it's a quite, dark, lonely stretch of highway that lets me shrug off the stress of the night. I usually set the cruise control at around 58-60mph, just so I don't have to worry about any cops that might be lurking around the corners.

I rounded the bend before my exit tonight just in time to see the end of an accident. It was a flash of taillights before one car swerved off to the left and came to rest in the median ditch while the other spun off three or four times before coming to a halt on the right side of the road. I pulled over on the right past the second car and dialed 911.

When I got to the first car, the driver seemed fine, just a little confused. Her entire left rear was caved in, destroyed, the wheel was gone. I told her I'd come back, the cops were on their way. I went to check on the other car, the one that had hit her.

I found one of the passengers in the median.

I vomited.

I couldn't tell who it was, but there's no way she was alive. Couldn't really tell that there was anything above her neck.

The other car's right front end was completely totalled. The windshield was shattered. The driver was incoherent, but seemed ok. He kept asking where his girlfriend was.

I didn't know what to tell him.

I saw the red and blue lights coming around the bend and went back to the other car. The driver seemed fine. She'd hit her head on the steering wheel and it seemed like she was going into shock. I talked to her to try to keep her calm while the first officer on the scene approached the other car.

She'd been driving about 45mph, since she'd just put on her doughnut because of a flat tire. She'd just dropped her daughter off at her sister's house. She couldn't even remember being hit, and asked me where her car was damaged.

The EMTs checked her out and took her to the hospital.

When the state trooper came to take my statement, he'd told me that the boy driving it said he was drunk, and said he was driving about 100mph. In a 55.

And he wanted to know what happened to his girlfriend...

The first thing I did when I got home was walk to the bar to fix myself a vodka. Calm my nerves. My hands are still shaking as I type this.

I put the bottle down un-opened.

 

I think you'll have hit a nerve with a fair amount of people on the forum MadMonk.

Well done for responding how you did, in all cases. People who take the time to help strangers in need make the world a better place.

Death penalty - Drunk drivers. - Selfish, heartless idiots.

 

I've seen similar things, my opinion of people's driving deminishes daily. Get some sleep, tell your family and friends you love them. And drive defensively. Hell, be defensive in all things.
take care man

 

yeah, the things i've seen in south africa are incredible... people drive like absolute retards here. especially the taxis.

alcohol and cars do not mix well. anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot.

well done for responding the way you did. keeping calm and keeping others calm is always a good idea.

 

You did well and handed a horrible situation in a fine manner.

I wish you the best.

 

Monk ...you did well...

there are things in life and death we see and experience that can be overwhleming ..I would suggest this is one for you..

it is done there is nothing you can do to change it and nothing you have done wrong ..

As suggested hug your loved ones , appreciate what we have and try to be happy.

be strong :Angel:

 

I commend you for your actions monk, if anything it serves as a great reminder that life is precious and can be taken in the blink of an eye.

Drink driving is one of the most foolish things anyone can do. As I once said to a friend who wanted to drive home after 4 or 5 beers "i don't really worry about you killing yourself, I worry about the innocent guy/girl you take out with you while you do it".

Just don't.

 

I'm sorry to hear that monk. Kudos for dealing with the situation so well. It's a real shock for the system to see any kind of accident, let alone one so serious. I hope that you dont lose too much sleep over it. Its really **** that stuff like this has to happen. Hopefully by sharing your story, someone who might have gone down the same path will think twice before drink driving.

 

Well handled, nothing more could have been asked of you. Well done.

Perhaps someone reading this will think twice before driving with drink.

 

omg that's awful, you handled that really well, that guy who was drink driving will be gutted when he realises what he had done.

 

He will have to live the rest of his life with his girlfriend's death on his conscience.

Well done Madmonk, you handled the situation well. I'm sorry that you had to see what you did, and I hope you can put it behind you.

 

Well done Madmonk, I had a simmilar experience in Germany, you will get through but you will take a bit of time to get over it if my experience is anything to go by. MY best wishes are with you.

 

Echoing what has been said before. You did all the right things, and take comfort in that.

We has a similar experience outside our house (on a steep hill). A guy who we later found out to be drunk took out a pair of sisters (both schoolgirls) walking down the hill.

One of the girls died at the scene, and the other was badly injured - the devistation caused by this one stupid & thoughtless man is unimaginable.

A few weeks later, the current habit of flowers being left at a crash site was replaced by a 'plaque' on the wall for the two girls. This (along with the flowers) kept bringing to my wife's mind the horror of that evening, and we eventually had to move house. People have no idea of the full extent of their actions.

 

I was at the pub with a few mates about 2 years ago, drinking quite heavily. I had a designated driver with me, since we both had to get home earlish for work the next day and it was his turn to drive. The rest of my mates were all drunk out of their minds.

One of them was really gone and was trying to start fights with everyone. He got hit and flipped out. He ran outside and jumped in his car and started driving. Me and the designated driver went after him. He must of been doing double the limit because we lost him about 3 mins in.

15mins later we found his car, wrapped around a pole. He had gone through the windscreen and hit the concrete dividing strip. His windpipe went through his neck...

I've lost quite a few friends to drink driving. Dont ever do it. My mate lost his license just the other day for being over double the limit.

 

Im ashamed to say i have 2 close relatives who have been banned from driving for 2 years for causing accidents and being well over the limit. No one was hurt, but its definately best that they are unable to drive now. There is a history of alcoholics in my family, which is why i chose to not drink at all. Maybe i should share this story to make sure they understand what can happen, before it does happen.

 

You did well, Mad, really well. In a highly stressfull situation, you did everything correctly and everything that you could do.

Keep in mind, this is just as traumatic for you as for anyone in the wreck. You'll recover, you'll do just fine. Just take care of yourself.

 

yeh. one of my really good friends at uni lost all movement below her neck thanks to her boyfriend's drunk driving.

and she's the only one who survived.

it's just a stupid idea.

 

Don't stress man. You did your best and that's all one could do in that tragic situation. But life comes and goes for everyone. That girl's fate was determined by her karma. So don't think of it anymore. I know it's hard but that's life.

You should sit down, take a few breaths, close your eyes and meditate a bit trying to empty your mind. After that you'll feel much better.

Cheer up.


DC.

 

such a waste. it's a shame that people are so selfish and think "that'll never happen to me".... my mates bro died last yr coz he was speeding (not drunk but driving very fast) fortunatly he didn't take out any of his 3 passengers, including his cuz, and 2 close mates.

 

Thanks for sharing that experience with us MadMonk ... I suppose that was a very difficult post to make but one that you felt compelled to make ... (I can understand having gone through a similar situation)
... anything that spreads the message to not drink and drive is a good thing.

I am sure this experience will stay with you forever ...