I just left the hospital....

I got off work today at 5pm and was headed to my folks' house for dinner and some time to hang out with my Dad. So I figure I'll run by my house to check my mail and change shirts. Well, I leave my house around 5:45 and head back across town toward the folks' house. At the stop light at the end of my road, I have to wait a couple minutes on the green arrow. Well, by this time, I've got a CD going and my a/c is starting to finally cool me off as I head north on the highway.

I look up and what the hell? There's a man lying in the ditch. I slowed for a second to look closer. Holy shit, his motorcycle is twisted all up and the rear tire is [b:be49e]STILL[/b:be49e] spinning. This guy's hurt and he don't look so good. So, I whip over on the shoulder and into the grass a little ways behind him and grab my phone. I jump out and can already hear the screaming, that horrible scream I can still hear.

So I run up (and like an idiot) ask him if he's hurt bad, all he can say is his leg, his leg. I look around trying my best to assess the situation and hit 911 on my cell. I tell the lady where the crash is and tell her to hurry. [b:be49e]HURRY DAMMIT![/b:be49e]

I lay my phone back down and this guy's got ahold of my shirt looking up at me.....he's hurting. Well, I look at his left leg and can tell it's at least a broken right femur. He keeps leaning up and I keep trying to keep him calm and telling him breathe deeper, just breathe deeper and lie back down.

Where's the damn cops, ambulance, anyone? No one is stopping. Can you fucking believe people? They're just driving by staring. Heartless bastards. So I look back down and this guy's right shoe is gone. Obviously lost in the crash. He then tells me something about he couldn't believe that lady hit him and didn't stop. What? She didn't stop? Holy shit.

This is about the time I see his foot. My stomach tightens and I can see already this guy has the worst looking injury I've ever seen in my life. sticking out of where his heel normally is, is meat and bone and he's bleeding really bad.

A few more minutes I keep telling him, just stay still for a few more minutes 'til the pros get there and can help him. Finally, I see someone offering help. A little frail old lady comes rushing over to my side. She's wearing scrubs and tells me she just left "her clinic". A nurse. An RN she says. She gets me out of her way and starts peling what's left of his sock out of her way to look closer. I'm still holding this guy's hand assuring him help is coming. And come they do, I finally hear the sirens off in the distance and I quickly start waving my hands so they see me in this dirty muddy ditch helping this guy I've known now for a few minutes.

In a flash, these EMT's and two police officers are working like lightning. I was impressed. One EMT came to me and began cleaning me off. What the hell? Why are you cleaning me off? This guy's hurt bad, help him. The young EMT tells me his cohorts have it all under control and he needs to make sure I'm cleaned off. So he wipes me down and thanks me for staying with Alan this whole time. Alan was his name. Poor Alan. The guy was in bad shape and headed to the ambulance. One cop comes to me and takes a statement of what I saw. I didn't see anything but this poor guy piled up in the ditch and [b:be49e]NO ONE WAS STOPPING TO HELP![/b:be49e] I tell him. They worked on Alan for a few minutes more and I ask if there's anything else to do. Alan hands me his phone and asks me to please make a call for him.

I had to call Alan's dad and tell him his son had just been t-boned off the highway by a lady whose whereabouts were still unknown. Alan's dad was calm and I told him Alan's injuries looked to be limited to his leg and maybe hip. The EMT's mentioned "lucky" and "this guy is tough" a time or two. I hung up with Alan's father and headed to my parents' house and relayed my story. Holy shit, crazy stuff. I left there a couple hours later to come home and relax and take a shower. What did I see on my way home? Alan's shoe in the ditch just 2 miles from my house.

So, I thought to myself, "Self, that poor guy has had a bad day, he shouldn't have to go buy a new pair of shoes after all this". I stopped, got the shoe and came home and showered and changed clothes. Afterwards, I drove to the hospital with a Doc Marten shoe and told a short version to the nurse on duty at the ER. She quickly grabbed the phone and called a few people. Minutes passed by.....

Alan's father quietly approached me and stuck his hand out shaking mine nearly crushing it. He had tears in his eyes and was thanking me nonstop for bringing him his son's shoe. I started to choke up, but told this man about my afternoon and the unexpected meeting of his son. He told me his son was in surgery and may lose part of his heel. Other than the leg injuries, he was going to be okay. Mr. Grace (as he told me) thanked me and I passed on my best wishes.

I'm sorry this is so long winded, just wanted to share. Also want to share my displeasure with assholes on the road who would do something like hitting someone (by the way, Mr. Grace told me they caught her. Leaving the scene of a personal injury accident. Felony), or not stopping to help someone like Alan who needed it. According to the cops, I was only about 25-30 seconds behind the accident. I didn't see the girl who hit him, but luckily, someone did and followed her while on his cell phone with 911. Kudos to that guy.

Thanks for reading and maybe send a prayer out for Alan.