Yesterday while I was driving to work at 7:00 in the morning, I saw a man lying in the gutter next to the I-5 southbound entrance on Old Fairhaven Parkway . It was still dark outside but I could see his black figure lying in the rain, beside the curb and just barely in the street. It appeared to me that a car turning right to enter the freeway could easily run right over his head and squish his brains out without even seeing him. My conscience wouldn't let me pass by and do nothing.
So I did a u-turn on the empty early morning street and pulled up beside him and rolled my passenger side window down. "Are you OK?" I asked. "Are you hurt?" Some unintelligible, drunken mutterings puttered out. So I got right down to business, "You're in a really dangerous spot, can you roll yourself up onto the curb?" He shifted a bit and muttered some more. I checked the clock, I should have been pulling in to get to work on time and relieve the caregiver working the overnight shift.
"Should I call an officer to help you up?" The homeless people I've come into contact with tend to avoid contact with the police. I asked him again if he was able to roll over. "I'm able to --geerrrrrgguuuhhhgghh....ugh......" Okay. "I'm going to go ahead and call an officer to help you."
Just then a pick-up truck pulled up behind us and a man got out and walked over to my window, between my car and the guy. "Is everything Okay?" he asked.
"I'm trying to get him out of the road so he doesn't get hit."
"Ah!" This nice man went over to the guy and started pulling him up out of the gutter. "Thank you very much!" I said, and I sped away.
So I did a u-turn on the empty early morning street and pulled up beside him and rolled my passenger side window down. "Are you OK?" I asked. "Are you hurt?" Some unintelligible, drunken mutterings puttered out. So I got right down to business, "You're in a really dangerous spot, can you roll yourself up onto the curb?" He shifted a bit and muttered some more. I checked the clock, I should have been pulling in to get to work on time and relieve the caregiver working the overnight shift.
"Should I call an officer to help you up?" The homeless people I've come into contact with tend to avoid contact with the police. I asked him again if he was able to roll over. "I'm able to --geerrrrrgguuuhhhgghh....ugh......" Okay. "I'm going to go ahead and call an officer to help you."
Just then a pick-up truck pulled up behind us and a man got out and walked over to my window, between my car and the guy. "Is everything Okay?" he asked.
"I'm trying to get him out of the road so he doesn't get hit."
"Ah!" This nice man went over to the guy and started pulling him up out of the gutter. "Thank you very much!" I said, and I sped away.
No comments:
Post a Comment