Bad, but could been much worse...

[Dave]

I've just heard (in the last day or so) of one of those things that make you say "Oh, &^X%^m, that's terrible... but it could very easily have been far worse."

An old friend of mine, living a couple of hours away, was just involved in a really serious single-vehicle accident. Apparently he nodded off on the way home on Saturday afternoon and went off the road. He's one of the hardest-working people I've ever met, often works multiple shifts, and I suspect he was badly minus on sleep.

The good news is, there was somebody nearby when it happened, they got the emergency crews right there, and they (just barely) managed to get him out of the totaled vehicle with the Jaws of Life and to a hospital within an hour. The other good news is that he seems to have no serious injuries to his internal organs, was conscious after the accident and into the hospital, is responding to communication, and the doctor said "He'll make it." Nobody else was hurt at all.

The bad news is, his airbag failed to deploy, and he's pretty badly messed up... broken ankles, broken femur, smashed face, and apparently a small bleed in his brain. Needed most of his blood volume transfused (between what he bled out and what his fractures absorbed, I guess) and they put filters in his arteries to catch any clots and bone chips that might be floating around. Feeding tube and breathing tube and pain meds and heavy sedation, at least for a while. He's going to be in the shop for quite some time.

Fortunately, he and his wife are much beloved in the community, so she's got plenty of support around her right now. And, she's a trained home-care nurse (retired) and is ready to face the challenge of nursing him back to health.

It's a sobering reminder... life is fragile, and it only takes a moment for it to turn upside down (and perhaps end). Another friend of mine told me that one of his friends died a few years ago in just this same sort of accident, for the same reason (and the friend's wife barely survived).

Please, don't drive impaired (drugs, drink, or fatigue)... it just absolutely isn't worth it. Pull over, take a nap, miss the movie or whatever it was you were hurrying towards.

"Let's be careful out there!"

[bmonk]

Yes--and don't forget to "hang up and drive!" (Includes not texting, reading, or doing other similar distracting things while driving)