Wednesday, April 25, 2007
The Drive Home
So I’m driving towards home tonight, minding my own business....isn’t that how these always start out? I’m at a stop light in a lane to go straight and a turning lane is to my left. The light turns green for those turning and I notice that a gray SUV is not moving. I’m about two to three car lengths behind this SUV in my own lane and see the driver’s head bobbing from side to side. At first I thought that he was so in to his music, chair dancing, that he wasn’t paying attention to the green light. I kept looking in to his car and then saw his head slamming, HARD, four or five times, on the driver’s side window.
That’s when I realized something was very wrong. The people in the cars directly behind him were not paying attention and noticed nothing. How could they not see this? As the cars in front of me moved, I yanked my car in to the turn lane in front of gray SUV guy. I got out of my car, his head now slamming the steering wheel over and over again. Oy VEY my GOD!! FUCK!
As I approached his car, he slumped over and was still. His jaw was slack, his eyes were open and staring at nothing and he was motionless. My heart stopped. I thought for sure he was dead. I thought I just sat there and watched a guy die right in front of me. I fought back tears and rising panic and tried his door but it was locked. I banged on his window but he was still slumped over. No one else was bothering to take much notice. I ran to the passenger side and tried that door but it was also locked. Son of a bitch! I need to get in and see if he’s breathing and help him!
I ran back to the driver’s side and banged hard on his window while looking at the cars behind him who were now just becoming aware that something was going on. For crying out loud, just how absorbed in their own world ARE these people? The lady in the car right behind him glared at me and laid on her horn, screaming. Bitch! Stupid fucking bitch! The guy is in dire need of help and all she cares about is not being able to go? UGH!
I started looking at other people in cars, waving frantically for someone, damn, anyone to stop! Finally a lady stops but she speaks no English. I keep yelling over and over, “911!!!! 911!!!!!” She pulls out her cell phone, hesitates so I scream at her again, “CALL 911!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” She starts dialing and another person pulls over to help. We all bang on this guy’s door and finally after about two minutes he slowly comes to.
He is not completely coherent and is looking like he’s drunk; his eyes not focusing, his tongue hanging out of his mouth, his moves are very slow. There was no scent of alcohol so I know he wasn’t drunk. We continue to bang on his window and he starts to try to drive off but has no idea really what he’s doing. I stand, stupidly, in front of his car because he is ready to drive right into the back of my car; he wasn’t even aware that there were cars in front of him and around him. Another person pulls over and they keep banging on his window while I stand in front of his car, pushing on it as if I have the strength to stop him from going. Adreniline was going over time and all I could think was to stop him from moving his car.
He finally rolls his window down and we start telling him not to drive. I yelled at him that he just had a seizure and he needs to wait for help. He looks at us, in a stupor, again, not really focusing on any of us...seeing but not seeing, and his right arms slowly raises, again like he’s drunk, and points forward. He is not speaking. His tongue hangs from his mouth and he says nothing. His head was kind of hanging down...I can only describe it as someone who is intoxicated but I know he’s not. We keep yelling at him to wait, one of the guys tries to reach in and grab his keys out of the ignition but the guy in a slow gesture, blocks him from doing so.
He continues to look sort of at us but not at us, tongue hanging out and slowly pointing forward as if to tell us he needs to go. He keeps inching his SUV slowly and we keep trying to stop him. Finally he works his way out in to the other lane that goes straight through the light. We all get in our cars to follow him but fuck it all we got the damn red light.
One of the people who stopped was quick enough in mind to write down his license number in a scribbled hurry. He handed it to me and they told me to call 911 and give it to them. I got on the phone and explained what was going on. They misunderstood that the guy had left and transfered me to Fire and Rescue. I told them what happened and they said that because they guy left they couldn’t help. BUT, they did keep me on the phone while they got the police. They made sure the police came on before they hung up. I told the police what happened and what direction the guy took off and his partial license number.
The guy was so out of it, he went straight even though before his seizure, he was in the left turn lane.
I don’t know if they caught up to him or can run his partial plate that I had to find where he lives...the guy needs help. Even if he makes it off the road safely, without hitting anyone or anything, he needs help.
I was so shaken by all of that, mostly by the earlier thought that he had died right in front of my eyes, that I didn’t notice when my lights turned green, I missed my turn to the street I live on, when the computer guy came over to make sure all was working well with the internet here I heard him but didn’t hear a thing he said.
I will never forget that image of the guy slumping over in his car and thinking he had just died. Thank GOD he didn’t die and hopefully he is getting the help he needs.
And now I’m drinking a beer or three because that was insane.
