- Accident Report (Third Person Account)
On Tuesday, 21 May 2013, at 9:35 a.m., a collision occurred between two vehicles at the intersection of Bath Road and Division Street. One vehicle was a light blue 2003 Toyota Corolla; the other was a green 2006 Chevrolet Uplander. Two pedestrian eyewitnesses reported that the Chevrolet was traveling south on Bath Road through the traffic lights, which were green in the north-south direction. The Toyota approached the intersection from Division Street traveling west at a high rate of speed with the driver sounding the horn. It slowed down slightly before colliding with the Chevrolet in the middle of the intersection. The points of collision were the left front bumper of the Toyota and the right rear door of the Chevrolet. The two vehicles both came to rest on the east sidewalk of Bath Road, just south of the intersection. The Toyota’s bumper, glass and chrome were scattered on the pavement. A wooden fence at 322 Bath Road was slightly damaged.
One bystander immediately called the police; others rushed to the drivers to assess any injuries and to decide whether or not an ambulance should be called. They reported that the driver of the Chevrolet, a woman, said she was not injured, yet she appeared to be suffering from mild shock and would not get out of her car. However, the male driver of the Toyota immediately leapt from his vehicle, shouting and attempting to flee the scene of the accident. Bystanders held him, with some difficulty, until the police arrived at 9:44 a.m. Damage to the vehicles is estimated to be over $6,000.
- Arriving in Time (First Person Account)
I had just arrived at the office and was settling down to read my e-mail when I got a call from my wife. She was breathless, afraid, and in pain. She was also in an ambulance on her way to the hospital across town. The birth of our first child had begun! How could this be happening so quickly and so soon? We were not expecting the birth for at least another month. All through the previous months we had planned how we would be together for this joyous and exciting event and now it was taking place without me. “It’s all progressing very quickly,” said my wife in a small, frightened voice.
I jumped into action, grabbed the keys of my Toyota, told my boss where I was going, and rushed out of the office. There wasn’t too much traffic on Cooper Street, so I could really step on the gas. Okay, I was over the speed limit, but not by much. I had to get to the hospital as quickly as possible! When I turned onto Division Street my heart fell; a line of traffic slowed me down to a crawl.
Now, here’s where things became really difficult. As I approached the traffic lights at the corner of Bath and Division, the light changed from green to yellow, but I felt I could just make it if I hurried. To alert the other drivers to the fact that I was coming through and that it was an emergency, I put one hand on the horn and kept it there, hoping that I sounded like an ambulance. Any driver with any sense would have known that this meant to pull over and let me through. I know the driver of that green van saw and heard my car because she gave me a funny look, but she didn’t stop for me. Well, she got what she deserved; I clipped her vehicle. It was only a minor fender bender, thank goodness, and nobody was hurt, so I thought the best thing would be to hail a taxi, race to the hospital and return later to take care of my car. But when I jumped out of the car and tried to leave, three guys grabbed me and wouldn’t let me go. I tried to explain to them but they wouldn’t listen or they couldn’t seem to understand what I was saying. You can imagine how upset I was. It took me an hour to get away from there – police, statements, insurance and all that rubbish.
The story has a happy ending; I made it to the hospital in time. In fact, I had lots of time because our son was not born until the next day. All’s well that ends well.
