What Would YOU Do At A Moment's Notice?

Have you ever driven by a car accident and not known what to do? Do I call 911? Did someone else already call? Do I stop? That is exactly what was running through my mind today as I was driving with my roommate. We were going about our business driving down Sepulveda and to the right of us there was a blue car flipped over. Instinctively I wanted to help but I didn’t know what to do. We had seen a man jump out of his car and run to the blue car that was resting on its roof. My roommate and I looked at each other and decided to call 911. As the 911 operator answered they knew exactly where the accident was, however, they did not know if someone was still in the car. We had just planned to call in, however, we decided to turn around. We turned around and raced back to back to the small street. Unfortunately, the light was red so we sat there helpless while a sea of cars raced past us on both sides. Just then, two police officers came speeding up to the accident. We drove away as there were people already by the car and we were no longer needed. Though this may seem a bit anti climatic it still has me thinking.
As we drove away I began to put myself in the blue sedan as if I was the person that was in the car. Though there were a couple people that had pulled over to see if they could help so many more had driven by. There have been so many times when I have driven by or been in a car where you drive by and think that someone else has already called 911 or is already helping the person. I began to think that if I was lying there stuck in the car that I would want anyone and everyone to help me. Though that seems a bit narcissistic I am sure that many of you who are reading this would want the same type of help.
So why is it that we have to go through this process of self-interrogation before we decide to dial emergency services. I am still not sure. It may be some fear of being involved and having to stay at the scene, be a witness, and even having to deal with the incident later on down the road. I thought about all those things today, however, each time I came to point where the person’s life that I could have helped was much more important than my busy schedule. I found myself like many others do, thinking about the repercussions of what is going to happen to me rather than what is going to happen to this person who may be stuck in the car or grasping on to the last threads of their life. There is a great deal that I learned in the short five minutes that it took me to see the accident, dial 911, turn around, and drive away from the scene. Though there were other people who called today, to help that blue sedan who’s to say that you or I may be the one person who found five minutes to help someone or better yet save another person’s life.

by Alyssa Silva