Horrific End to a Wonderful Night

Tonight our neighbors watched Abigail for us so that Matt and I could go to the temple. It has been about a year since we have been able to go together.  Sometimes one of gets away to do a session, but it has been forever since we've been able to go together.  We had a great time.  Abigail had great fun with the Monteros while we were gone.  She colored and painted and made a scary mask out of the cutting kit that she got for her birthday from her cousins, Daphne and Violette.

When we got home we decided to hop in our cars and run down to Smith's to get gas in both our cars before Sunday in case we needed to go anywhere.  On our way down Hwy 89 (which is our cross street for those of you not in NSL) there was a yellow SUV that swerved into the middle turn lane and slammed on it's brakes.  I thought that was strange, because it was so dark I couldn't see anything that it was avoiding.  Immediately I heard a loud thud and then as the body was rolling off of the hood of the SUV and fell to the ground I could see for just an instant while the body was directly in front of the SUV's head lights that a woman was hit. I immediately pulled over and did a U-turn.  Matt was ahead of me and saw that I pulled over and turned around.  He did the same. I left the car running with Abigail in the back seat. I went to see if there was anything I could do or if I should wait to give a report. By the time I got there quite a few cars just stopped in the middle of the road or off to the side of the road, both witnesses and passersby.  When I saw the woman's body lifeless on the road next to the SUV it brought tears to my eyes instantly that I held back.  I saw that Matt had pulled over and was getting out of his car so I went to where he was to explain what happened.  He took care of Abigail, who was freaking out at being left in the car.

I went back to the accident to find the teenage driver of the SUV in hysterics trying to explain away what happened.  He just kept saying, "It was so dark.  I couldn't see anyone until she was right there.  I tried to swerve."  Someone had put a coat over the woman, but she still wasn't moving.  It wasn't unitl the police arrived that she started trying to move and trying to talk to the police.  She was screaming out in pain.  It took a while for the ambulance to arrive.  Before the police arrived the son of the woman who was hit was going crazy, pacing back and forth.  He went up to the teenage boy and it looked like he was going to hit him.  A few people who must have been with the mother and son reasoned with him.  They tried to comfort him, telling him that she would be okay. After police arrived and were trying to talk to the woman and make sure she didn't move the son kept on getting in the way.  One police officer asked him to step away repeatedly.  He refused.  Finally, the police officer said, "Don't resist me... don't resist me." He pulled him up against a car just like they do in the movies to handcuff someone.  I think it was a police car, but I'm not even sure any more.  By the end there were so many cars so that detail escapes me. The son still resisted and the police officer wasn't able to get cuffs on him.  The son even got out of the police officer's grip. The police officer pulled his taser gun on the son. He told him he needed to cooperate.  The son still wasn't really cooperating until the police officer got closer and closer and was yelling at him to get on the ground.  Finally, the son got on the ground and the police officer cuffed him. From there he put the son in his police car. I don't know if he will be arrested for resisting an officer or not.  He was in hysterics, but he was not cooperating in any way, shape or form.

After what seemed like an eternity the ambulance arrived.  About 5 other police cars came to assist other than the original 2.  I watched as the paramedics took the coat off the woman and brought the back board out and tried to move her into the ambulance.  It was horrific to watch and wait for a police officer to take my testimony. My heart went out to that woman and her son.  I'm sure that the woman will survive, but who knows if they have insurance in this economy.  Their clothes and appearance seemed to indicate that they may be low income, but that is an unfair judgement on my part.

My heart also goes out to that teenage boy. As soon as the first police officers arrived he was trying to talk to them and explain what happened and how sorry he was and that he couldn't see them.  The police officer informed him that they couldn't take his report just yet.  So, he backed away and paced the ground near his SUV.  I can only imagine what was going on in his mind. While I was filling out my witness report at Matt's car I saw a police officer walk the boy to his police car.  The boy made a phone call on his cell phone. I imagine he was calling his parents.  He looked scared to death.  I'm sure he was unsure of his future.  Then the police officer cuffed him and put him in the back of his car.

That mother and son were using a crosswalk, but they crossed the street when there was far too much traffic on a busy street.  In that area there are a lot of trees and no street lights. It was pitch black.  Had I been driving through that intersection a couple seconds sooner it could have been me hitting that woman.  I would not have seen her.  I couldn't even see the woman on that boy's hood.  It was until she was midair if front of his headlight falling off the hood that I even saw her.

I have no idea what will become of either party, but my heart goes out to both of them.  I am so grateful that it wasn't me who hit that pedestrian, but I feel so sad for everyone involved.

On the other hand, as we continued on our way to Smith's after this whole ordeal Abigail was going on in the back seat about that woman and she asked me if we could go back and see if the woman was okay.  Abigail is just about the sweetest thing.  I told her that she was in the ambulance going to the hospital.  Abigail asked me, "Are there doctors at the hospital to help her feel better?"  I told her there are lots and lots of doctors at the hospital to help the woman feel better.  She just went on and on about the woman and how she had owies and how the doctors would help her and she was so concerned for her. Abigail did witness the police officer pull out his tazer gun and force the son to the ground and handcuff him.  She had all kind of questions that Matt had the priviledge of responding to. I'm so grateful to Matt for keeping Abigail by his car so she wouldn't have to witness nearly as much as I did and for protecting her at such a young age from some of the harsh realities that are so much apart of this life.

This experience has led me to make a petition to the City of North Salt Lake to at least put in a street lamp at that intersection.  Even the most careful driver could hit someone at that crosswalk late at night.  And in doing so alter the course of their life dramatically.

I know it's the middle of the night, but I just needed to get this out.  I couldn't get the whole scene out of my head.  I'm hoping that by sharing this with the world it will be off my chest just enough to get some sleep tonight.  I also needed to cry a little bit while I was writing this and not have to be strong in front strangers or my own daughter.