Count your blessings

[Paul Neuhaus]

I know there are a lot of police, firemen, and medics on this forum who will be able to relate to what I'm about to share with you. What I witnessed this morning is something I hope I never witness again....

I was heading out to a client's house this morning, running a few minutes late, rushing out to my car with my cooler full of food and my briefcase. Just as I do every morning, I pray as I'm driving out to my first client's house or to the office. Just a few minutes later I got onto Highway 41 north and traffic was doing about 65 mph. Up ahead of me, I saw a lot of brake lights, so I started slowing down because they were all braking hard. Then, it was like a scene out of a movie. A driver of a semi never slowed down. These cars were slowed to about 10 mph, and the semi went right through them at about 65 before rolling into a ditch.

I was only a couple hundred feet behind when this happened. The first thing I did was call 911, and they already had calls coming in. The next thought in my mind was "I need to go pray for them". I parked my car on the shoulder and walked ahead... As I approached, I saw a car in the middle of the road that was crushed smaller than any car I've seen in a wreck. My body went numb, I walked around and saw a man who was slipping away. Out of respect, I will not describe what I saw.... I immediately kneeled down and prayed for this man as he slipped away. I could smell the gas that was leaking all over the place, and some people may think I was foolish, but I didn't care. I could not leave his side with out praying for him after what I saw. I stood up and looked around and saw that 4 cars had been crushed by the semi.

I turned and saw a woman in her car who had swerved into the ditch as the semi came up from behind and she had watched it go right by her and crush these cars. She was extremely distraught and crying. I sat and talked to her as she waited for loved ones to arrive.

I've never seen such a bad scene in my life, much less witnessed it. Many thoughts ran through my mind... thinking of this man's family... the other people in their cars who had bystanders praying for them while we waited for help to arrive... I was running a few minutes late when I left the house and I could have been in this wreck if I had left on time... what was the driver of the semi doing... maybe he was just looking down at his map before the crash...

As I sat with this woman, we watched the rescue crews do their jobs. Helicopters flew in and headed out with victims who were in critical condition, including the driver of the semi. From what I saw, I was amazed that only one victim died at the scene, but I am thankful that I was able to pray over him before he did. Whether or not everyone else survives in the hosptal remains to be seen, but I will continue to pray for them. Even a police officer I was talking to said he has never seen an accident scene this bad.



It was amazing to see how many people pulled over and ran up to the victims with blankets to keep them warm and pray for them until help arrived. What upset me the most were the people on the southbound side who were taking pictures with their phones as they drove by slowly. That's just what the victiims' families need... pictures of this floating around the internet.

I sat there and thought a lot about what I'm doing with my life, and whether or not my loved ones know that I love them, and whether or not I've thanked God enough for all my blessings. You see, what I witnessed this morning made me realize that we take far too much for granted.

If you love someone and haven't told them lately, tell them today, because there may not be a tomorrow. If you believe that there is a God and haven't yet put your faith in Christ, please do so before it's too late. I know there are some non-believers on this forum and this is not meant for a debate, so please don't take it that way.

Also, thank every fireman, medic, and police officer that you know, because these men and women were doing something that I could not handle emotionally. Bless you all...

[davebeers]

Also, thank every fireman, medic, and police officer that you know, because these men and women were doing something that I could not handle emotionally. Bless you all...

you could do it, many people who don't think they could actually would be quite good at it. When its your job you tend to not become emotionally involved and just act on your training. You would also see alot of these scenes and would become callused eventually.
At the fire station and at the trauma hospital i work at we see alot of these scenes. People involved tend to not become emotionally involved and even make jokes about things sometimes. I know that sounds horrible but sometimes adding some humor is the only way to get around actually thinking deeply about it. There is the occasional call that gets to everyone and there are stress debreifing teams that specialize in counseling emergency workers that are troubled by something they witnessed.
Thank you for doing what you did. You'd be amazed how many onlookers become a hindrance for us when we are trying to do our job.

PS- don't worry about the gas leaking from the car. Despite what movie scenes depict, regular gasoline leaking will not actually explode. It will ignite and burn quite well but usually will not blow up like hollywood would leave you to believe. If the gas tank is already surrounded by fire however, the pressure in the tank could reach a critical level and combust quite aggressively.

[Paul Neuhaus]

I appreciate what you and your co-workers do Dave. Here's the article http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090427/APC0101/90427017/1979

[Jared Alden]

There is just a sickness in my gut for what the semi truck driver must be going through.

[Brendan Merchant]

People involved tend to not become emotionally involved and even make jokes about things sometimes. I know that sounds horrible but sometimes adding some humor is the only way to get around actually thinking deeply about it. - DAVE BEERS

I know exactly where you are coming from on this one. We have a dark sense of humour which people on the outside can take offence to if overheard. It's not that we are meaning to be disrespectful to anyone, dead or alive it's just our way. It just makes it easier for us to do what we do.

[Chris Weaver]

At the fire station and at the trauma hospital i work at we see alot of these scenes. People involved tend to not become emotionally involved and even make jokes about things sometimes. I know that sounds horrible but sometimes adding some humor is the only way to get around actually thinking deeply about it. There is the occasional call that gets to everyone and there are stress debreifing teams that specialize in counseling emergency workers that are troubled by something they witnessed.

You hit the nail on the head with that one. Some of my co-workers have gotten into trouble laughing or joking while at the scene of some nasty stuff, but if you became emotionally attached to every situation, you will literally go crazy after the first shift. The calls that do seem to get to everyone are the ones involving kids. There is no way around that.

Sometimes witnessing something like that is actually alot worse then responding to it. I know of a guy that witnessed a semi truck run a red light and the outcome wasn't too good. That guy blames himself for the entire incident because he says the dump truck he was driving blocked the vision of a car that pulled in front of the Semi. He was pretty upset about the whole incident for some time, and he still doesn't like to talk about it.

Be careful on the roads out there...they are crazy.

[Paul Neuhaus]

Sometimes witnessing something like that is actually alot worse then responding to it.

You may be right. When I saw this man and the condition he was in while still alive, it was very painful to know that there was nothing I could do. I later found out that he was only 42 years old with a family, and was on his way to work.

[Ryan Bakke]

Sorry you had to see that Paul but the guy didnt die alone. You were meant to be there and to see it for a reason.

The calloused humor that comes with this stuff I believe is a form of PTSD and a coping mechanism. It is also the reason our life expectancy is short and the reason many of us are sometimes terrible husbands and fathers...we have a tremendous knack for not allowing things to become too close, too emotional, too hard and often blow off a problem or avoid taking one on head on in our personal lives.....we are good at it!

I know locally, and i can only speak for police, we dont have a sytem in place to take time off or have some alone time etc after a difficult call. We basically just get in our car and go to the next call. there have been many instances, but I remember dealing with the most nasty, spiteful, petty woman on a silly call for service I took literally 5 minutes after leaving an extremly horrific scene and cleaning myself up. Among MANY thoughts going through my head at the time was a simple one of, "some people have no idea what we do"....and the callus grew thicker

[WesleyInman]

Sorry to hear about your experience, and thankfully you are ok....We had a similar situation in CT a year or so ago, where a dumptruck lost its brakes coming down the hill at around 120mph and hit an entire row of cars, buses, trucks....14 people died, many burnt to death...Very very sad. This reminded me of that....very good principles in your post, thank you :)

[jdphil413]

Paul,
I appreciate your thoughts and especially the fact that you stayed with that woman and prayed for that gentleman. You are right we take so many things for granted and what you did was an act of love, and you were there for a reason. God Bless you and my prayers will go out to all those involved in that accident.

[Callie Marunde]

"If you love someone and haven't told them lately, tell them today, because there may not be a tomorrow. If you believe that there is a God and haven't yet put your faith in Christ, please do so before it's too late."


Very well put. I could not agree more. I live it.

Callie

[Patrick Nehoda]

First of Paul, I am sorry to hear you had to witness that. Second, you offered that man comfort in the time he needed it most. So in that instance you did exactly what you should do. The sad thing is a lot of firemen and police just go auto pilot and don't know how to do what you did. For that you are a strong man in many more ways than what we prove in the gym!
God Bless You!

[Paul Neuhaus]

Thank you everyone. Here is the latest article. http://www.postcrescent.com/article/20090428/APC0101/904280456/1979

If you watch the video clip, you won't see the car I prayed over. Out of respect, it was covered with a blue tarp. The man in the green pickup was upgraded to serious condition yesterday, and the woman in the cruched sedan in the ditch was still in critical condition.

The semi driver, 66 years old, was released after being treated. I can not begin to imagine the horror he's going through right now.

[Knelly]

I am so sorry Paul. Derek and I send our thoughts and prayers over your way. We will be thinking of all those affected. That is just so tragic, you just never know what your day will bring you. I have always said you should never go to bed mad, I am glad I live by that...

[Matt Schumann]

Im sorry to hear about such a horrible accident. Im not a religous person but the people/families affected by it will be in my thoughts and I hope for best.

Personally I am relativel newer to law enforcement and im still climbing the ladder. But between my short career / a few personal experiences that got me interested in the field, I can say there are no truer hero's then fire fighter's/emergency medical personell. Every day they respond to some of life's worse incident's without hesitation. Im certified as a EMT but dont think I could ever do what they do as a job. Simply amazing people.

Paul Keep your head up and enjoy life's simple things. Sometime's we need to experience these things to appreciate the simple things in life.


Thanks for sharing...

[Muscle Mom]

we dont have a sytem in place to take time off or have some alone time etc after a difficult call. We basically just get in our car and go to the next call.

Here in Sequim we have a pastor who is trained in trauma debriefing. He has done a great service. I know a few people who have witnessed horrific accidents on our infamous Highway 101 and have been helped for post traumatic stress disorder. I'm really grateful for those of you on duty who don't have time to debrief.

[Michelle Ludena]

How horrible that you had to witness that... very sad. My heart and prayers go out to those affected. I would be a major basket case having seen something like that...

"If you love someone and haven't told them lately, tell them today, because there may not be a tomorrow. If you believe that there is a God and haven't yet put your faith in Christ, please do so before it's too late."

Well said, every minute of your life should be spent showing those you love what they mean to you - don't take that opportunity for granted, it may be gone forever :(

[Paul Neuhaus]

Thank you everyone. It was announced late yesterday that the woman who was in that car in the ditch died from her injuries. I was contacted by ABC News yesterday and agreed to share my experience in hopes that it will bring some peace to the family of Matt Yost. Here's the link. http://www.wbay.com/global/video/flash/popupplayer.asp?clipId1=3703214&at1=News&vt1=v&h1=What+Survivors+Took+Away+from+Hwy+41+Crash&d1=150400&redirUrl=www.wbay.com&activePane=info&LaunchPageAdTag=homepage&clipFormat=flv&rnd=42646965

[davebeers]

very powerful story, thank you paul

[jay lyttle]

thats why i have such a freespirited look on life, cuz it can be over just like that! i know alot of you may not agree with what i'm about to say but if you knew me and my outlook on and the way i live life you would understand. i always tell people not to take life serious [cuz its not] anything that you know that the ending is death should not be taken so serious, it the things or situations that happen IN life that are to be taken serious not life itself! enjoy each day, it could be your last! if you dont wake up everyday with a smile, find out why and change the part that doesnt make you happy [job, girlfriend, marriage etc.] and lastly, famous last words of a fool! EAT,DRINK AND BE MERRY cuz tomorrow you may be dead. i hope i didnt offend anyone, but its scenes like paul came upon that just makes you think that life is short so do what you have to do to be happy and have fun.
when asked if he would like to his life all over again, frank sinatra said: NO! if i did it right the first time, theres no need to do it again! paul my thoughts and prayers go out to you for what you went thru, and to the people / familys that lost a loved one.

[BillTenbroeck]

Paul I am sorry to hear that you experienced this tragic event. Your actions were brave and very thoughtful. Many people would not have done what you did in that situation.

On Saturday I was on my way home on the NJ Turnpike and a huge accident happened here that set traffic back for miles and miles. A Tractor Trailor destroyed a car and all 5 people in it lost their lives. The road is a dangerous place and you never know when your last day on earth will be.

[vincegazzara]

Sorry to hear about your experience, and thankfully you are ok....We had a similar situation in CT a year or so ago, where a dumptruck lost its brakes coming down the hill at around 120mph and hit an entire row of cars, buses, trucks....14 people died, many burnt to death...Very very sad. This reminded me of that....very good principles in your post, thank you :)

120 mph? The truck driver must have been freewheeling unless he had already trashed the transmission or shot the piston through the side of the block. Even at that there is always something you can do if sparing innocent people is more important than attempting to save your own ass. When I drove tractor-trailers I worked with a guy who "laid down" his rig when he burnt out his brakes coming down a mountain highway. He swerved left to right until it rocked over on its side, then rode it out as the trailer ginded pavement and slowed down. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt. A moral man would drive off the side of a mountain before killing innocent people.

Paul, there are few experiences in life as important as being with someone as they pass on. The real tragedy would have been if that man died alone in the trauma and confusion of the scene that you described. You were called on and you responed.

[WesleyInman]

120 mph? The truck driver must have been freewheeling unless he had already trashed the transmission or shot the piston through the side of the block. Even at that there is always something you can do if sparing innocent people is more important than attempting to save your own ass. When I drove tractor-trailers I worked with a guy who "laid down" his rig when he burnt out his brakes coming down a mountain highway. He swerved left to right until it rocked over on its side, then rode it out as the trailer ginded pavement and slowed down. Fortunately nobody was seriously hurt. A moral man would drive off the side of a mountain before killing innocent people.

Yeah unfortunately for him, he did try to go off Avon Mountain, but when he did the truck went on two wheels and continued to gain speed, and from eyewitness reports, he hit a bus so hard on first impact that it literally picked it up and threw it hundreds of feet in the air, all the while hitting vehicles mid-air. It made National attention, as hard as it is to believe, it was in Avon CT a year or so ago.

As a result, they have reconstructed the entire very very steep mountain. They have a huge runoff that is cement blocks with steel bars that has multiple catch points, and the catch point is about a 1/4 mile long. This wasn't the first time a truck lost brakes and people died. Its very sad though because of the fact that people burnt to death on their commute to work.

[vincegazzara]

OK - then he certainly gets credit for trying. That's incredible

[srojv]

Unfortunatley in these situations is the images that stay with you. I have been a police Officer for 11 years and have seen and delt with alot from having to do cpr on someone I have known for over twenty years, suicide by a fellow officer's 15 year old son using his duty weapon, and the always pleasant comforting a wife whose husband just ended his life with a shot gun not to mention all the car accidents. Like I said I think the images that randomly pop into your head are the hardest to deal with. Luckily I have an understanding wife at home and faith and it gets you through.
Paul I am sure that family is thankful that a man of your faith was with him at his passing, don't forget to take care of yourself also.

[Paul Neuhaus]

Thank you guys. I appreciate the support. Matt Yosts's sister saw my interview on ABC News Monday night and she tracked me down. We had a pretty lengthy conversation last night, and she told me a lot about her brother and what a great man he was. I assured her that Matt was in the presence of God while we were there, being comforted, and that he went very quietly and peacefully. She breathed a huge sigh of relief, and expressed immense grattitude.

What I did was not an act of bravery. It was an act of humanity, and it was what God lead me to do.

I am living with some emotional scars from this but, that doesn't matter. What matters is that Matt's family has a little bit of peace now, knowing that we were there for him. This Friday, I will be attending his memorial service so that I can pay my respects to his family.