Accident Priorities

So, over the weekend, a freak nor'easter dropped several inches of very wet, very heavy snow on our area. The result was a lot of downed trees—even here where there aren't that many. My family had no power over the weekend. So we lent my mother a generator Sunday and ended up stopping on the way to render aid at a three-car collision.

Wookie got to put his EMT training into use (and me my first responder training) as we tended to the drivers and passengers of the three cars. It was a lesson in priorities and I'd like to use my platform here to issue some advice.

People, if you're in a car accident--especially if the airbags deploy--don't move or move as little as possible. If you get out of your car, you are risking further injury--either by moving some part of you that you don't realize you've injured, or from other cars on the road. Some injuries, like a torn aorta, or even whiplash are not obvious right away but can be very serious, or even deadly.

To the police out there, I understand that you have your own set of priorities--but clearing the accident scene and getting people's licenses and insurance is NOT so important that you should tell someone with a possible C-spine injury to reach over to their purse or glove box and get their papers. You can wait, or you can ask to reach in and get those things yourself. Your report is not worth someone becoming paralyzed or worse.

Also, maybe have some respect for the people who stop to render aid--especially if they are trained first responders, EMTs or paramedics, etc. We stop to help. We're not trying to make your life harder but, really, shouldn't your first priority be the welfare of the accident victims too? If you have someone there who can help them till EMS arrives (and we're often on scene before you are) then take advantage of the assistance. (I've been first on scene to several accidents over the years. Sometimes the officers are happy for the help, others pretty much ignore me, yesterday the officer just wanted us gone but it took an hour for EMS to arrive and the officer--in my opinion--did not show much concern with monitoring people for injuries at all. You might say that's not his job, but if no one else is there to do it then whose job is it?)

Finally, to all drivers, know that gawking just risks adding you to the accident. If you are not stopping to help, then slow down but keep going--and keep your eyes on the road. Really, DO slow down. The people who were speeding past us yesterday were careless jerks. I have no more eloquent words to describe them, and the terms I would rather use are far less polite. They put everyone at risk.

I hope the people from the accident are all okay--we have no way of knowing. No one asked us for our information (and in the last few years, I think I've only been asked twice).

I will say, too, that I am terribly proud of Wookie. He did a great job checking on everyone and, later, assisting the local EMTs when they arrived. He's my hero.

From the number of sirens I heard over the weekend and the damage we saw of downed trees and power lines, I'm sure that the storm left everyone here with a lot of clean-up to do.  This afternoon, our neighborhood was alive with the sound of chainsaws. From our house, Wookie and I heard a combination of sounds that spoke of someone else having a bad day:

1. The sound of chainsaws and cracking tree limbs
2. The sound of a car alarm
3. People shouting

Never a good combination.

Winter has come early my friends. Be careful and stay safe.

Road Trip!

When I was a kid we went camping every year.

My parents, my little sister, and our two small dogs would pile into a car with every available inch of space inside and on top packed full and tied down with camping gear. We would be out of touch while we were away. No way to reach us but to call the ranger station. Payphones our only means of calling while we were away. Nothing to guide us but paper maps with a carefully highlighted route.

I am amazed by how much has changed within my lifetime. I am not sure what I would do if I suddenly found myself back then. When I leave the house for coffee, I carry an arsenal of technology that, in the 70s, NASA would have envied. Between my phone and my tablet I am reachable and traceable by any number of methods. I have maps at my fingertips that show me sattelite views and traffic. Between these two devices I have two GPS units with multiple navigation apps--and that is not counting the actual dedicated GPS for my car.

Camping memories from the 70s. I'm the tall one.

Between my phone and a couple of little red Nikons, I usually have enough digital cameras on me to document every event in my life several times over in stills and video. And thanks to the wonders of digital media, I can take hundreds of pictures a day. A far cry from the little 110mm camera we had when I was a kid with it’s little film cartridges. We had to wait till we got home and then wait some more for those pictures to be developed.  I have the option of sharing my pictures almost instantaneously.

I am going on a road trip. 

My friend needs to get her car and her dog across country. I'm going to help her get there and get a much needed break along the way. When I was growing up, a trip like this would have meant being totally unreachable. Today, my husband, AAA, and 911 are all as close as the phone in my purse. Thanks to Skype, I'll even be able to see Paul and meet with prospective clients. 

In some ways, driving thousands of miles will be no different than going down the block.

My phone/GPS/Camera/Video Camera/Concierge/Tri-Corder...
in a picture I took and edited 5 minutes ago.

The flip side of the convenience though is knowing that my daily barage of social media and email will also follow me. I will pick and choose what gets to interrupt my trip. But the truth is that I have become acustomed to being there and responding, often immediately. I have to wonder if pretending to be unreachable will be more stressful than actually being so. I guess we’ll see.

We’re going from New York to Phoenix. Our route is not strictly planned, though we have a date by which we need to arrive so I can fly back. It’s going to be an adventure and, dear readers, I may just take you all along for the ride.