Death's Doorway

Last night’s class was somber; of the 8 students in the class, 3 worked with a young man who was killed in a horrific accident Sunday morning. He survived Iraq, but couldn’t survive driving on a local highway long known for its high death toll.

Evidently, he left work Saturday and headed down the hill. No one knows where he was or what he was doing, but he headed back up the hill Sunday morning. Suddenly, he swerved across the median, hit another vehicle head-on, and then both of those cars collided with a semi. The two smaller cars burst into flames and, trapped in their vehicles, both drivers were burned beyond recognition. The driver of the semi was able to get out of his truck, but neither he nor the passengers in other vehicles on the road at the time were able to help the victims trapped in their burning cars.

The roadway was closed to all traffic for several hours as the cars burned; when the fires were out, the investigation began, but it wasn’t until many hours later that the cremated remains were removed from what was left of the vehicles. Then began the task of identifying first, the vehicles, and then the remains, and then notifying next of kin, and, slowly, others who may have known the victims learned of their deaths.

The remains of the military man were identified yesterday, and his death sent shockwaves throughout the military hospital where he worked alongside the students in my class.

The expected comments were made:

“I worked with him Saturday, but he didn’t show up Monday. Everyone wondered where he was.”

“I saw his car in the hospital parking lot Saturday, but didn’t talk to him because we were so busy.”

“Yeah, I worked with him; we were in the same department.”

We all try to understand and accept that a person can be here one moment and gone the next, but when you are turning 21 this week and on your way to Las Vegas to celebrate, you expect to return home after the party ends. When you drive down the hill to shop, eat out at a nice restaurant, or go clubbing, you expect to return home. When you are preparing to head out for the holiday, you expect to share special time with family and friends and come back home filled with memories.

When you are driving anywhere, you don’t expect another driver to suddenly swerve into your vehicle, hit you head-on, and burn to death.

This tregdy was a somber reminder to all of us as we begin the holiday season in earnest that it may well be my time next.