There was a vehicular collision on my campus in my senior year of college. Both the driver and the pedestrian were on their cell phones when the car impacted the walker at just under 35 miles per hour. The kid was struck on his left hip and propelled forward rather than upward or rearward (full impact). He was also struck at the top of a 15 degree inclined hill that sloped for about 150 yards. He finally came to rest about 100 feet away from the impact.
His shoes were gone, his skull was fractured, his pelvis was crushed, and he was bleeding out with frightening quickness. Most kids were simply awestruck and panicked. One young man and the driver of the car however, calmly walked up to this poor soul, took his hands and spoke to him in his last few moments.
He died lying there in the road.
In a society that discourages "getting involved" and centers around the feelings and whims of the individual, I have no problem believing that the vast majority of people would not try to help, comfort, understand, or reconcile with a person as they possibly left this earth. Most of the kids walking around when this accident happened were horrified and scared and wouldn't dream of doing anything other than watching with wide eyes.
They were indeed very uncomfortable with the situation. My question is, don't you think the two men holding this kid's hands were scared? What are the chances they've ever seen someone lose their life before, and in such an unfortunate and graphic way? You better believe they were scared. They sure as heck had somewhere better to be. But they saw another human being suffering and they offered everything they could.
I'd like to believe that most people in our community would fit this mold. I am also not so naiive to assume it to be true. I would risk my life to save a life just as readily as I would engage to save myself. I am not foolish and understand risk assessment, statistical proabilities and legal liability; but when all the chips are down, I care about my fellow man, and I will not sit idly by doing nothing while some innocent or neutralized person suffers. It is hard wired into my morals, my religion, and my conscience.
If a gentlemen threatened my life and I shot him to the ground, once I assessed that he was no longer a threat and that no other threats were likely, I'd do everything in my power to help him get through the ordeal alive. That's just who I am. And to the best of my knowledge, the firearm community is full of us. Maybe it's the "Obligation to your Fellow Man" idea that gets us.
Everyone walks their own path.
~LT
