[13403] in APO-L
*The Most Important Thing in Life* (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (S. Dawn (Bug) Heyse)
Wed Dec 13 14:01:43 1995
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 14:03:19 -0500
Reply-To: "S. Dawn (Bug) Heyse" <heyses@WINNIE.FIT.EDU>
From: "S. Dawn (Bug) Heyse" <heyses@WINNIE.FIT.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
It may be a little off-topic, but it's important.
This is from a brother at my chapter..... Please be careful, guys, and
have a safe holiday.
Bug
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 13 Dec 1995 13:47:46 -0500 (EST)
From: Jessica Lallier <lallier@winnie.fit.edu>
Last night something happened to me that will change my life forever. I
was involved in a fatal car accident.
Now, I know this letter is not exactly Holiday Greeting material, but I
am hoping it will keep you or a loved one from making the biggest mistake
of their life.
It was about 2:00 in the morning and I was returning from my friend Amy's
dorm. I wasn't drunk, overtired, hungry, distracted, or dazed. It was
just a normal drive home. I stopped for a red light at the only
intersection between my apartment and Amy's. I flipped through a few
stations on the radio, and when the light turned green I accelerated.
Suddenly I heard the sound of a high speed engine followed by squealing
tires. Before I understood what was happening, there was a large thud.
I was aware of movement and glass was shattering all over me. I covered
my face with my hands and felt my seat belt tighten. Thank God for that
seat belt. In an instant I became aware that I had stopped moving. I
threw the car into park and jumped out into the road. When I spun around
I was greeted by a giant ball of flame. There was a crumpled figure in
the road about forty feet away from it. That ball of flame was a motor
cycle. I screamed and ran toward the man in the road, yelling for
someone to call an ambulance. I told people not to move him, but
someone already had a grip on his wrist. I will never forget their words:
NO PULSE. At this point all I really remember is running around, screaming
for a phone. Someone had the sense to get me to the side of the road
and shield me from the image of the man lying without motion. Suddenly there
were fire trucks and the flames were extinguished. I noticed paramedics and
an ambulance. They were doing CPR - again and again they thrust on his
chest. I went numb. A police officer asked me who I needed to call. She
took care of that for me, and after what seemed like hours my friend Amy and
boyfriend Steve arrived. I could not erase the scene from my head. I
asked over and over again about the man, but was told only that they were
"working on him". Shortly I was ushered to a police car and taken to the
hospital. When we arrived I was informed that the man had indeed died.
I do not remember ever crying so hard.
After hours in the ER and many tests, I was allowed to leave. A sample
of my blood had been taken to be tested for alcohol content (a Florida
state law in fatal accidents), I had had numerous X-rays, my rights had been
read to me, and I had issued a statement about the accident.
It is now nearly twelve hours since the accident. I have learned that
the man ran a red light, and that he was visibly drunk when he left the
bar. I have been told that this was not my fault, but I suffer the
consequences. My car is totalled, I have cuts and scrapes, and worst of
all I can not erase the image of that body on the asphalt.
But then I realize I am the lucky one. I walked away. And I think there
was a reason. Maybe it was so that I could tell all of you this story.
I have seen far to many alcohol-related fatalities. One of my best
friends lost her older brother, another died while traveling from one
party to the next. Our school nurse was hit at an intersection and died
instantly.
The important thing here is that none of this had to happen. That man
should be on his way home for Christmas, not burial. Too many of you
have heard stories like this or maybe have even been involved in similar
situations. So now I implore you to help me turn this into a positive
experience. Promise yourself and your loved ones that you will NEVER get
behind the wheel of a vehicle while intoxicated, or allow anyone else
to. It does not take much to get a designated driver to be responsible
for your trip home. FORWARD THIS MESSAGE to as many people as you can and
let them know that we all just need to remember that the most important thing
in life is LIVING it. Tell them to think of their family and what it
would be like to have to sit through the holidays with an empty place
where they should have been.
Most importantly, please be safe this season. Enjoy your family. Tell
them you love them. Call that friend you stopped speaking to. Because
you never know when it will be your turn. I just faced that fact.
And please say a prayer or save a thought for that man and HIS family. I
don't even know who they are, but my heart goes out to them.
Please take this message to heart. You are my friends, my brothers, and
my family. I love you all, and I don't want any of you to become a
statistic.
Jess
(Lallier@fit.edu)
