Choose Good
Last week on our way to a dinner date night, April and I witnessed a pretty bad car accident. We were waiting at a light to turn left and a car coming from the right of us ran right through a red light and slammed into a car coming toward us. Both vehicles collided into the cars on the opposite side of the street waiting at the red light creating a four car wreck. Almost immediately the driver of the car who caused the collision, jumped out of the vehicle and started to slowly walk away before moving into a jog to get away. The car in front of us did a u-turn and began to follow him. Still in a partial state of shock, and trying to asses all that was going on, April called 911 and we pulled the car over to try and help the people at the scene. Fortunately there were no gruesome injuries or fatalities, but it certainly left a lot of people shaken up that had witnessed the crash (ourselves included).
Something that bothers me is when people fail to take accountability for their actions. I have very little tolerance for lying, hiding, or passing blame onto someone else when a person has made a mistake. In leadership and life, the ability to admit when you are wrong is extremely powerful. It builds trust and earns respect because it signals to people around you that you accept the consequences of your actions. So to see someone cause so much harm and then take off really pissed me off.
It put me in a negative mindset where I started to focus on all of the terrible things that occurred. In addition to the literal “hit and run” that we witnessed, it also took over four minutes for 911 to answer the call that April placed - not giving me a lot of confidence in our emergency response system. After the accident a homeless looking man snuck behind one of the vehicles involved and tried to steal something out of the truck, which made it tempting to believe that people are generally looking for ways to take advantage of others. And the fear that crept in thinking about how many other reckless drivers are out there putting the lives of others in danger.
However, in a situation where it’s easy to focus is on the negative events that took place, there were also bright spots that restored my hope in humanity. The numerous bystanders that jumped in to help the drivers of the other cars. The car that went after the driver that caused the accident. They guy that called out the attempted thief and scared him off. The lady who consoled and talked with an injured driver while she was in her car until the paramedics could arrive. And the nearby restaurant owner that came out with waters for the injured people. I generally believe that people are wired to help and support one another. It doesn’t always happen, but more often than not it’s nice to know that people will step up and come to the aid of others in times of need.
It was a scary moment for sure and I’m very grateful that we were not involved in that accident. Thankfully there were no casualties in this crash, but it was a good reminder to appreciate everyday you have because the next one is not guaranteed.
