How would you feel?

Forums:
Email this Topic • Print this Page

This is something that has been bothering me.

There’s not anything I can “do” about this, but I’ve been rather surprised by the (what I feel) misplacement of concern by others. I don’t know if my thinking is too all encompassing, or if others are looking at the trees and not the forest.

I learned yesterday that an employee at one of our locations had a car accident that morning. A little background, she has MS, so has had good and bad times. I’m not that familiar with where she is in the disease process right now. Personality wise, she’s a very stubborn person, and is rather thick, if you know what I mean. She was like this before her disease, although it’s gotten worse over the years.

From what I understand right now, she “passed out” behind the wheel while driving to work. Her car went over the median in the road, and headed into oncoming traffic. Another car couldn’t avoid her, and managed to only sideswipe her, pushing her into a tree.

I noted that she would not be able to drive a car for the next six months. You can’t if you have a seizure, pass out, etc. while driving. One of the group of people I was talking with responded “Well, how are the police going to prove that? She’ll keep on driving.” I said “There’s nothing for the police to find out. When the doctor at the hospital learns what happened, he’ll document it and it’ll be on record. He’ll place an order for her not to drive, and if she does, and anything happens, she’ll be in a lot of trouble. The main thing is what about the other people she could have hurt or killed?” The response I got was “Well, she didn’t, she got banged up, and the other car pushed her into a tree”

Well ****. Only by the grace of God I’d say. I have no idea if this person will take this as a wake up call and not drive, or decide it time to stop working. That’s really beside the point.

What bothers me is that none of the 3 or 4 people in this conversation had anything to say about the possibility of any number of innocent people getting killed. The thought that someone should try to avoid word getting out that they lost consciousness while operating a ton of metal at 60 mph is sickening to me. I’d say the person who had an SUV barreling at them would have a different idea….and what about the kids, other passengers in that car….or the other vehicles around them that could’ve gotten sucked into this?

I don’t know. Maybe it’s this idea that it’s all about me, or, every man for himself.

Topic Stats
Top Replies
Link to this Topic

Type: Discussion • Score: 13 • Views: 3,692 • Replies: 47

@chai2,

I'm with you. I don't know why they would think that this person was ok on the roads. What if it was them in the on-coming car. Of course, not being able to drive is a significant hardship on your co-worker, but better than being dead or killing someone else.

1 Reply

@chai2,

I'm with you on this one as well.

0 Replies

@chai2,

Funny you wrote something like this - not two minutes ago we were discussing driving and older people - when you should stop driving because of age, etc.

Recently we have had several car accidents from old people. I mean old 90s old. Drove into a Walmart while finding a parking space and injuring a woman and her toddler. What the f*ck? How the heck do you mistake the entrance of a Walmart with a parking space?

Another drove into a group of people...

This was also being discussed on the radio last night - seems that no one wants to take responsibility to determine when some one is incapable of driving. Not the registry, not the police, not the doctors. I don't understand why....my question - who is responsible for monitoring this?

0 Replies

Remember how Tony Soprano took care of Christopha when he saw how a piece of metal or something had gone through the (thankfully empty) car seat in the back seat?

Seriously though, I've seen/talked to other people who go out and risk other peoples lives because it would be inconvenient to them to do otherwise.

They live amongst us.

I'm not even talking about the people who go a little bit out of their way to keep you from doing something, like merge in front of them rather than hit the 10 foot concrete divider coming up fast. Once, in a situation like that close to Miami, something like this happened to me, then, the guy slowed down so I couldn't get behind him either. It was close.

I'm talking about the people who can't think beyond their nose how they could kill someone so easily.

0 Replies

@engineer,

engineer wrote:

I'm with you. I don't know why they would think that this person was ok on the roads. What if it was them in the on-coming car. Of course, not being able to drive is a significant hardship on your co-worker, but better than being dead or killing someone else.

On the contrary, keeping such people on the roads will ensure they do kill themselves sooner or later - fairly brutal, but mercifully faster than changing applicable law, especially if the driver, as seems to be the case here (I checked) is a person of color, which brings any number of idiotic minority protection laws (anybody heard of the 14th Amendment???) into play; not judge Sotomayor, for one). It's the system on the German Autobahn, either you know how to drive fast or you die - but at least you die fast, before you get a chance to hurt others on the same road. Brutal, but unquestionably effective.

2 Replies

@High Seas,

was. autobahn does not have unlimited speed anymore. for good reasons.

2 Replies

@dagmaraka,

Where you live it doesn't, for EXCELLENT reason as far as your driving is concerned, presumably. Btw, what do YOU drive, a Ferrari 12-cylinder engine? Kinda doubt that, but let us know all the same Smile

PS if this (your current signature line) is a typical sample of your potential explanations >

Quote:

The goat was happy. So happy she didn't know what to do with herself. So she went and got herself ice skates and went dancing on ice. She was flying about here and there, all giddy. Then she fell and broke her neck and died.

> kindly keep any Autobahn /autoroute / autostrada / freeway explanation to yourself - most of us would find it incomprehensible to begin with. If you don't I'm gonna call PETA on you for promoting animal abuse.

0 Replies

@High Seas,

High Seas wrote:

engineer wrote:

I'm with you. I don't know why they would think that this person was ok on the roads. What if it was them in the on-coming car. Of course, not being able to drive is a significant hardship on your co-worker, but better than being dead or killing someone else.

On the contrary, keeping such people on the roads will ensure they do kill themselves sooner or later - fairly brutal, but mercifully faster than changing applicable law, especially if the driver, as seems to be the case here (I checked) is a person of color, which brings any number of idiotic minority protection laws (anybody heard of the 14th Amendment???) into play; not judge Sotomayor, for one). It's the system on the German Autobahn, either you know how to drive fast or you die - but at least you die fast, before you get a chance to hurt others on the same road. Brutal, but unquestionably effective.

Wow...you're a real asshole, aren't you?

That has got to be one of the stupidest things I've ever read on A2K.

2 Replies

@chai2,

Thank you, Chai, you have evidently mistaken me for one of your close relatives or friends, assuming you have any of the latter, which is doubtful from your thread. I'm happy to inform you I have NO association WHATSOEVER with any of them. Let them loose on an unsuspecting populace, mow down a few hapless pedestrians, crash into some more school buses and other oncoming traffic, and then object on grounds persons of color get multiple sclerosis at 3 times the rate of whites - go, Chai, judge Sotomayor will back you!

0 Replies

@chai2,

I have yet to read anything of High Seas' that has any merit whatsoever.

(I suspect that it is an alternate login for cjhsa.)

0 Replies

LADIES! LADIES!

http://img48.exs.cx/img48/8809/catfight.jpg

1 Reply

@Eva,

ain't gonna be no cat fight.

what dd says makes sense.

now, excuse me whilst I go start a thread about....um....doorknobs.

I hear tell there's a lot of minority involvement in that.

0 Replies

High Seas, you're a stupid ass.

Chai2 (Chai, Chair, whatever), I had an issue with a girlfriend (age 60) whose father (age 86) had Alzheimer's and was still driving. The fact that he had intermediate Alz didn't seem to bother his doctor or the Motor Vehicle Office a bit - after all, he passed a road test after I reported him and he continued to drive - legally! His wife was completely deaf and he would mutter to her things like, "Where are we going?" or "Which way now?" to which she didn't reply, of course, not hearing him, so they went on many a scenic tour.

My issue is that he was a danger on the road and should have had his license revoked and his car impounded. He's no different than a drunk driver.

So, in summary, I see your point about how no one was concerned about the collateral damage this person could have (and, in fact, did) done.

1 Reply

@Mame,

would you like to buy some Mary Kay Mame?

In my 30's, I was taking some classes at a satellite location of a college. This one class ended late, around 10:30pm. To get from the school to the interstate you had to drive what felt like endless miles (probably 10) on a dark, and at that time of night, mostly deserted highway.

One night I was soooo tired, it had been a really long day, and I was still half and hour from home when I reached the interstate. I made a left to get on the North bound entrance ramp, only I neglected to drive over the interstate overpass, and made a left onto the exit ramp of the South bound highway.

I only drove a few yards, someone getting off the exit started flashing their lights, and slowed way down and to the side. He slowed down more when he came abreast to my car, I guess to see if I was drunk or something. I called out to him how sorry I was, it was a mistake, etc. and he stayed in position while I backed up and got on the right way.

I was really shaky after that, and was afraid I would somehow fall asleep, although there was little chance of that.

For the rest of the semester, I'd find myself slapping myself, playing really loud music, talking to myself, anything to make sure I stayed awake. It wasn't so much the thought of killing myself, but the thought of taking others along with me.

1 Reply

@chai2,

Why, yes, Chai, I would like to buy some Mary Kay. You selling?

I did the same thing when I was 16 only I hit the other car. With my mom's car. After that, I never drove on a freeway for quite some time (years). Scary.

0 Replies

No catfight after all?

<sigh>

Of course, now that Mame is here too, it wouldn't be a fair fight. High Seas is a smart lady...obviously smart enough to know better than to take on Chai and Mame at the same time.

Well, damn. I was really looking forward to the show. I mean, I've got the popcorn ready and everything.

1 Reply

@Eva,

I would gladly take on Helen and Chai at the same time but Eva, no way, no how (even with my cane)

0 Replies

^ Isn't he cute?!

0 Replies

ok ok ok.....

I was talking with one of the people from the original conversation just now.

She just came back from a meeting at a hospital. She said "Someone almost drove right into me head on when I was leaving the hospital!"

I said "maybe she passed out"

She - "no, she was wide awake"

Me - "maybe she was in a fugue"

She - "no, she was alone"

Neutral

1 Reply

Forums
» How would you feel?

Read Discussion
Reply to All

How would you feel?

Quick Links

My Account

able2know