[13413] in APO-L
Re: *The Most Important Thing in Life* (fwd)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Odette Havel)
Thu Dec 14 09:31:15 1995
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 08:29:24 -0600
Reply-To: Odette Havel <ohavel@COMP.UARK.EDU>
From: Odette Havel <ohavel@COMP.UARK.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list APO-L <APO-L@VM.CC.PURDUE.EDU>
In-Reply-To: <199512140057.SAA22253@comp.uark.edu>
Dawn Heyse forwarded this, and I am grateful to her and to Jessica for
sharing this tragic story.
About two weeks ago, I lost one of my dearest friends in a car accident.
He was driving one of our areas most dangerous roads, one that students
from the southern part of our state use all of the time, when his car
left the road and burst into flames. I can only hope that he was killed
instantly.
Please, please read every word of Jessica's story. Then, think about
it. I will never get over the loss of my friend. And she will never
get over the sight she saw.
Read and remember.
In LFS,
O'Dette Havel
Adviser/Beta Rho
University of Arkansas
----
On Wed, 13 Dec 1995, S. Dawn (Bug) Heyse wrote:
> 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)
>
******************************************************************************
O'Dette Havel
University Relations
University of Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701
Office Phone: (501) 575-7944
Office e-mail: ohavel@comp.uark.edu
**~~~~~~****************************************************************************
~~
