The Fight or Flight response tested...

On Sunday evening, my family & I were driving home from a visit with my mother. It had been a long day and the kids had just enjoyed some pool time at Grandma's condo. We were all tired and ready to get home and wrap up the evening. It seems that fate had its own ideas however...

Out of nowhere, this black car races up along side us traveling at least 90 mph. He was driving like a maniac! The lunatic squeezed between two cars (driving over the white lines in his new imaginary lane) to pass another vehicle who I suppose wasn't traveling fast enough for the driver of the black vehicle's liking. Luckily he did not crash into either vehicle.

His luck ran out, however, when he attempted the same manuever on the on-ramp - this time trying to squeeze between a tanker truck and a minivan. As the three cars approached a curve along the ramp, the space between the van and truck shrunk and the black vehicle clipped the back of the van. The minivan did a few 360's and fishtailed all over the ramp - but luck and some Hollywood-style stun driving prevented the driver from flipping over. The black vehicle swerved off the road and into a grassy field. It's driver made a mad dash across the grass - in an attempt to hit-skip in my opinion - but his rear tire blew and he spun out on the roadway. Again, the driver was lucky that the vehicle did not flip.

We stopped immediately and I leaped out of my car and over the concrete barrier. I felt confident my children were safe as I did this - because they were seatbelted into the rear of our car and the doors had childlocks on them. I was the first to approach the still smoking black vehicle. The driver wasn't wearing his seatbelt, but the airbag had saved the fool's life. He was thrown into the passenger side floor area. He was awake but very disoriented. I could not see any serious injuries except for some cuts on his face from the shattered windshield. I kept talking to him and trying to get him not to move too much. We told another person to call 911 and Brian ran over to assist the driver of minivan (who was shaken but not hurt). Luckily, an off-duty sheriff had seen the accident as well and he came over to tend to the driver of the black vehicle until the ambulance showed up. It was quite a scene!

As far as I know, everyone ended up OK. It turns out that the driver of the black car had crashed a customer's car - he is a mechanic! He had a fight with his girlfriend earlier and that is why he was driving so fast apparently. The sheriff told the firemen that he did not think alcohol was a factor. The man's girlfriend showed up at the scene. We were all glad to see her because the driver had told the sheriff that she had also been in the car at the time of the accident. Everyone was scouring the grassy area looking for her and fearing the worst. I guess the guy was in shock though, because she obviously was not in the car. I heard her tell a cop that she and the driver had been a couple for 10 years and that they had 2 kids together. Hearing that made me feel even better about stopping to help...this guy may have been an asshole for causing this situation, but he was some kid's Daddy too. We stayed and gave our statement to the cops and got home about an hour later than we should have.

The whole thing makes me shake my head to think of it now. What if the car had suddenly caught fire? What if the driver had been killed? I would have had to live with that image the rest of my life. I didn't even think during the moment - I just acted. I gave no regard to my own safety and only found myself concerned about the life of a man whose foolish actions could have killed a lot of people that evening. This wasn't the first time I have done something like that either. As a teen, I once saw an abandoned building on fire next door to the Wendy's restaurant where I was eating. I told my mother to call the fire department and I ran inside the burning building! I thought I saw a person in the window, but as it turns out there was no one inside. There was a burning matress, however, in what looked to be an old kitchen, so someone had been in there at some point.

All of this leads to me to ponder why some people stop and help, while others are content to let others take the risks? Last night, there were about 10 good samaritans who stopped and tried to be helpful - but there were plenty of others who didn't. Some were even honking their horns and acting in an unsafe manner as they tried to get out of the growing traffic jam. So what is it that leads some people to jump into danger without thought? I think it must be something genetic. People who grow up to be firemen or policemen must have this gene too. I've studied about the fight or flight response - but I think people are wired to react more often in a certain way. I guess that is why there are alpha-types and betas.

Later that evening, after the adrenaline had returned to its normal levels, I felt like I had been tackled to the ground. My body actually hurt! I guess that is a small price to pay though to be Wonder Woman. :o)