Terrible Accident !!

[n2ize]

This morning at my local exit from the highway there were loads of police cars, fire engines, etc. Apparently when I gave a closer look 2 cars had apparently collided and flew off the road and into the river. Amazingly both women driving the cars survived. One was able to climb out and climb to the roof of the car for safety. One was rescued by a few public works men who were putting in a new sidewalk nearby. The other she was rescued by County Cops.

These women were lucky. Back around 1990-91 there was a similar accident in almost the same spot involving a car with several youths inside. Unfortunately that accident ended tragically as all those on board drowned. Scuba divers had t0o be send under for retrieval. Fortunately this was not a repeat of that.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20121218/NEWS02/312180083/2-drivers-helped-safety-after-crashing-into-Bronx-River-see-video

[kb2vxa]

That reminds me of a similar situation some years ago when a friend who was an EMT and I were listening to the scanner and heard about a car in the water across town and decided to see what help we might be. The car was completely submerged so a diver was called in to investigate, the car was unoccupied. As a tow truck was winching it out a search commenced, no sign of the driver anywhere and the current not strong so where was the driver? Just as we were calling it quits and about to go home someone reported her unharmed sitting in the lobby of a motel just a couple hundred feet from the scene.

That's the good part, now here's the bad part. While we were working on the bridge approach in the rain and about to leave highway drivers were paying more attention to us than driving... BAM! Now as we split forces to attend to the victims, from the other side... BAM! Time to call mutual aid and that's not all, as time went on more plowed into the wreckage until the bridge looked like one of those fog pile ups you see on the news. With one side completely blocked and traffic at a standstill the other side had all but part of the left lane impassable so there I was with a few other volunteers directing traffic crawling by and trucks with wheels on the divider leaning over me. Thank goodness for highly skilled professionals! Remember it was raining and when I looked down to find better footing I noticed I was standing in a river of blood. Not a comfortable feeling but I had a job to do and when it was over the feeling got worse when I learned there were four fatalities.

Now do I really have to tell you to ignore the lights and WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING?