Screeech!! - the tires squealed across the highway concrete. A gray patch of smoke appeared from under the SUV, followed by the distinct thud of cars colliding. A small pickup truck started to fishtail, but quickly lost all control as it swung 180 degrees across 4 lanes of busy California traffic. Large pieces of wood and debris flew out the truck bed, scattering itself across the lanes.
Within seconds the SUV rested on the far right hand side of traffic, its horn unable to stop blaring and its front bumper laying a lane away, while the truck remained motionless on the far left hand side of traffic, directly facing the oncoming traffic.
I saw the accident from about 100 feet away. By the time my vehicle stopped, it was near two shattered pieces of the 2*4 and within 30 feet of the SUV. I knew my phone was dead, as it had died minutes earlier while I was listening to a friend's voice mail message from New York wishing us a Happy Easter. I asked Adrienne to let me borrow her phone, which she promptly handed over and warned me about running into traffic.
I scanned the scene and noticed that all traffic had halted. I was a bit careful since I was the first one coming out of a car. I ran past the wreckage, past a few stunned cars still in shock, and towards the SUV to check if the passengers were ok. Inside were two Hispanic adults and their child, all who responded that they were ok and appeared without any visible injuries.
I looked across the highway and saw that someone had started checking on the driver of the truck. He seemed to be all right, considering he was rear-ended at 70 miles per hour. Adrienne had come out of my truck and I passed her the phone to call 911 while I helped to clear the lanes of debris. A few others hopped out of their vehicles and started helping as well. As soon as the wreckage was cleared and the call was finished, a Highway patrol car finally appeared on scene and took over.
After the adrenaline rush was over, I noticed that my foot was slightly bleeding. I was only wearing my Chaco sandals since we were out at the beach with some of our Peace Corps Tonga friends this morning. They were behind us and navigated through the traffic to check if we were ok. We signaled that we were good. After I got back inside the truck, I felt a stinging sensation in my foot and noticed a cut.
Looking back, I have no idea how I could have helped. Adrienne was the actual EMT and if the SUV family didn't understand English, my Spanish could only direct her to the nearest library. I'm glad it didn't come down to anyone needing medical attention. If they did, Adrienne would have been able to help. I don't know why I became so overprotective of her.
