In the Blink of an Eye
Life can change in the blink of an eye; a debilitating illness, the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the destruction caused by a natural disaster. This is a life lesson that I have experienced numerous times, and recently I witnessed a friend’s life fall victim to chance.
On September 2nd, a sunny Saturday afternoon, my friend (let's call her Grace) was driving down the road, heading home after running a few errands. She was driving north in the left-most lane when suddenly a car cuts across three lanes of traffic, east to west. Unable to complete the journey west and enter the southbound lanes of traffic, the car comes to a halt. Grace t-bones the offending vehicle and blinding pain screams through her body. Police and EMT arrive within minutes, but when you’re in that kind of pain even a few minutes is too long. My friend is rushed to a local hospital where she is x-rayed, poked and prodded for several hours; the crying finally ends in a drug induced haze.
Grace is told she has a shattered tib-fib bone; the place where the shin turns into the ankle is now a mass of broken bits of bone. She is transferred to another hospital where she receives an external fixator to hold the larger pieces of bone in place until the swelling goes down enough for the orthopedic surgeon to reconnect bone fragments with metal plates and screws. This surgery was completed 11 days after the accident at yet another hospital. Racked with pain and hospitalized, Grace went from being a vibrant, busy woman with a full-time job and a part-time college schedule to a helpless patient, relying upon nurses, friends and relatives for nearly everything. The driver who caused the accident walked out of the hospital that same day. Fourteen days, three hospitals, two surgeries, three plates and 12 screws later, Grace was finally discharged. She is hoping to walk again next spring.
Because of the Employment-at-Will doctrine, Grace’s employer is not required to hold her position for her while she recuperates. She may lose her job and health insurance at any time and it will take several months for her to receive money from the at-fault driver’s insurance company to cover medical costs and lost wages. When she is finally able to walk and drive again, she will need to buy another car, probably find another job, and register for classes at least six months behind schedule. Right now, she is unable to care for herself, her home and her pets: this accident has affected nearly every aspect of her life.
If Grace hadn’t slammed on the break during her accident, she may not have sustained such a harsh injury. If she hadn’t slowed down before the crash, the impact may have killed the other driver. If she had made one more stop before heading home, Grace may have taken another route and arrived home safely. If, if, if.
There are many events in life we wish we could un-do. Unfortunately, that’s not the way life works.
Be careful out there.
On September 2nd, a sunny Saturday afternoon, my friend (let's call her Grace) was driving down the road, heading home after running a few errands. She was driving north in the left-most lane when suddenly a car cuts across three lanes of traffic, east to west. Unable to complete the journey west and enter the southbound lanes of traffic, the car comes to a halt. Grace t-bones the offending vehicle and blinding pain screams through her body. Police and EMT arrive within minutes, but when you’re in that kind of pain even a few minutes is too long. My friend is rushed to a local hospital where she is x-rayed, poked and prodded for several hours; the crying finally ends in a drug induced haze.
Grace is told she has a shattered tib-fib bone; the place where the shin turns into the ankle is now a mass of broken bits of bone. She is transferred to another hospital where she receives an external fixator to hold the larger pieces of bone in place until the swelling goes down enough for the orthopedic surgeon to reconnect bone fragments with metal plates and screws. This surgery was completed 11 days after the accident at yet another hospital. Racked with pain and hospitalized, Grace went from being a vibrant, busy woman with a full-time job and a part-time college schedule to a helpless patient, relying upon nurses, friends and relatives for nearly everything. The driver who caused the accident walked out of the hospital that same day. Fourteen days, three hospitals, two surgeries, three plates and 12 screws later, Grace was finally discharged. She is hoping to walk again next spring.
Because of the Employment-at-Will doctrine, Grace’s employer is not required to hold her position for her while she recuperates. She may lose her job and health insurance at any time and it will take several months for her to receive money from the at-fault driver’s insurance company to cover medical costs and lost wages. When she is finally able to walk and drive again, she will need to buy another car, probably find another job, and register for classes at least six months behind schedule. Right now, she is unable to care for herself, her home and her pets: this accident has affected nearly every aspect of her life.
If Grace hadn’t slammed on the break during her accident, she may not have sustained such a harsh injury. If she hadn’t slowed down before the crash, the impact may have killed the other driver. If she had made one more stop before heading home, Grace may have taken another route and arrived home safely. If, if, if.
There are many events in life we wish we could un-do. Unfortunately, that’s not the way life works.
Be careful out there.
posted by Patricia at
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
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