In shock
When I left the office today I was surprised to see a traffic jam on the express road in front of our office. At a 2nd look I noticed some crashed cars blocking the passage and people on the phone walking around the wrecks.
I hesitated for a moment as there seemed already plenty of people and the phoning people gave me the impression that there were none wounded. But my emergency first response course in my mind told me to head over and check out if I could offer any help. I crossed our parking lot and the parallell road to the people near the crash barrier.
Nobody was wounded they assured me. One lady was sitting near the first wreck clearly in panic. Further was a child crying while her mom tried to get some bags out of their wrecked car that was blocking the passage on the road. "I am afraaaaaaid. How can I go to school tomorrow? Where is my bag" the girl in the pink coat cried. "I can't reach my partner" her mom frantically tapped on her phone.
I hushed people to come inside the warmth of our office or at least the bigger safety of our parking lot. I offered to bring coke with sugar but everybody refused. I should have just brought them a bottle before their lips. People in shock don't tend to make the right logic decisions but you can't force them either. Then again, my training told us never to give food or drinks to people because of inner injuries and later treatment but here nobody seemed physically injured. At least they took the water bottles that we brought.
The police was on their way and an ambulance was called by someone for the sitting lady that seemed too much in shock. I felt useless but hesitated to leave. Some more colleagues left the office and came to check if no-one wanted to wait on our safer parking. Nope, they didn't succeed either.
Finally the sirens approached from the distance and ambulances, firetrucks and police arrived on the scene. That was the sign for us that we could leave (via a backroad...since the front was all blocked). A frightened crying girl in pink jacket stays on my mind tonight. I hope she has sweet dreams without car wrecks. And that all the others found some warm comforting arms tonight to get over their fright.
I hesitated for a moment as there seemed already plenty of people and the phoning people gave me the impression that there were none wounded. But my emergency first response course in my mind told me to head over and check out if I could offer any help. I crossed our parking lot and the parallell road to the people near the crash barrier.
Nobody was wounded they assured me. One lady was sitting near the first wreck clearly in panic. Further was a child crying while her mom tried to get some bags out of their wrecked car that was blocking the passage on the road. "I am afraaaaaaid. How can I go to school tomorrow? Where is my bag" the girl in the pink coat cried. "I can't reach my partner" her mom frantically tapped on her phone.
I hushed people to come inside the warmth of our office or at least the bigger safety of our parking lot. I offered to bring coke with sugar but everybody refused. I should have just brought them a bottle before their lips. People in shock don't tend to make the right logic decisions but you can't force them either. Then again, my training told us never to give food or drinks to people because of inner injuries and later treatment but here nobody seemed physically injured. At least they took the water bottles that we brought.
The police was on their way and an ambulance was called by someone for the sitting lady that seemed too much in shock. I felt useless but hesitated to leave. Some more colleagues left the office and came to check if no-one wanted to wait on our safer parking. Nope, they didn't succeed either.
Finally the sirens approached from the distance and ambulances, firetrucks and police arrived on the scene. That was the sign for us that we could leave (via a backroad...since the front was all blocked). A frightened crying girl in pink jacket stays on my mind tonight. I hope she has sweet dreams without car wrecks. And that all the others found some warm comforting arms tonight to get over their fright.
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