Pay It Forward

On my way home from work on Monday, I witnessed a car accident on north-bound I-97. A lady a few car lengths in front of me tried to make a lane change but lost control of her gray Saturn, swerved across a few lanes and did a 180 in the middle of the road. Another lady in a Jeep tried to swerve, but was unable to avoid hitting her.

I immediately pulled over when I saw what happened and ran to give assistance if it was needed. A few other people pulled over and stayed with the lady in the Saturn. I ran up to the lady in the Jeep. Her left front fender was decimated and her windshield was cracked. She was understandably shaking and upset.

To make a long story short, I stayed with her and kept her calm thru the process with the EMTs and police and waited with her until her husband got to the scene.

When I flipped my car a couple of months ago, about 10 cars pulled over to offer assistance. They called 911, helped me out of the car, got the stuff from my purse together (because its contents went flying) and even made sure I had my keys and cell phone and shoes before I was strapped into the neck brace and back board and hauled away in the ambulance. I even used a stranger's cell phone to call R and call C to tell him to get the girls from daycare.

In the days that followed the accident and dealing with the whirlwind of insurance and the towing company and a totalled car, along with being extremely sore, there was one thing that bothered me... I never got to thank the people that helped a stranger out of the kindness of their hearts.

So when the lady in the Jeep thanked me profusely for everything I had done, I told her about my own experience. Because in my eyes, I was doing the only thing I could do...

Paying it forward.