I've seen street signs warning drivers about dips, deer, blind driveways, blind children, and even wild burros. I learned Friday that they need one for human bodies in the road.
As I was driving down a pretty busy road near the school after work on Friday, traffic suddenly began to slow. I didn't think much of it, because this is a pretty common occurence on this part of my daily commute. However, I quickly realized that things were a little different this time. The cars ahead of me all of a sudden began merging into the neighboring lane. It wasn't until the last car in front of me got into the next lane that I realized what was causing this little traffic hiccup. There was a man lying on his back in the middle of the lane with his arms and legs outstretched.
I immediately switched into my "assess-the-situation-before-you-panic" mode. I saw a police car pulling into the lane on the other side of the body. I saw a whole bunch of cars coming up behind me. My biggest fear was that if I moved over to the next lane, someone may not see this person and run over him. So, I quickly turned on my hazard lights so my car would be able to protect this man's head from further damage.
Then I sat there in my car trying to make sense of what was going on. I was also trying to be okay with the fact that I might be staring at a dead body. I watched the policeman get out of the car and try to get a response from the man. He then checked for a pulse, and it didn't seem good. I still didn't know what to do, but I figured that using my car as protection for the man and the policeman that was now kneeling in the middle of the street next to the body was the best way I could help.
After a couple of minutes the man on the street moved his arm. I immediately felt a great sense of relief that he was alive. A few minutes after that, the policeman helped the man sit up. And then eventually the man was able to sit up on the curb. At that point, the policeman waved at me and mouthed "thank you", letting me know that I could be on my way.
As I was driving down a pretty busy road near the school after work on Friday, traffic suddenly began to slow. I didn't think much of it, because this is a pretty common occurence on this part of my daily commute. However, I quickly realized that things were a little different this time. The cars ahead of me all of a sudden began merging into the neighboring lane. It wasn't until the last car in front of me got into the next lane that I realized what was causing this little traffic hiccup. There was a man lying on his back in the middle of the lane with his arms and legs outstretched.
I immediately switched into my "assess-the-situation-before-you-panic" mode. I saw a police car pulling into the lane on the other side of the body. I saw a whole bunch of cars coming up behind me. My biggest fear was that if I moved over to the next lane, someone may not see this person and run over him. So, I quickly turned on my hazard lights so my car would be able to protect this man's head from further damage.
Then I sat there in my car trying to make sense of what was going on. I was also trying to be okay with the fact that I might be staring at a dead body. I watched the policeman get out of the car and try to get a response from the man. He then checked for a pulse, and it didn't seem good. I still didn't know what to do, but I figured that using my car as protection for the man and the policeman that was now kneeling in the middle of the street next to the body was the best way I could help.
After a couple of minutes the man on the street moved his arm. I immediately felt a great sense of relief that he was alive. A few minutes after that, the policeman helped the man sit up. And then eventually the man was able to sit up on the curb. At that point, the policeman waved at me and mouthed "thank you", letting me know that I could be on my way.
In typical Vegas fashion, no one was willing to let me merge into the next lane. So, as I waited for a break in the heavy traffic I had time to watch the policeman walk over into the empty lot just behind the man and pick something up out of the dirt. I realized he was holding a pair of jeans. Then for the first time I noticed that the man sitting on the curb was sporting a pair of blue boxers.
I spent the rest of the drive home trying to figure out what had just happened. Why had none of the other cars before me stopped for the man? Was he going to be okay? But the most obvious question that I would still love to have answered is WHY WAS HE IN THE MIDDLE OF MLK BLVD. WITHOUT ANY PANTS ON???
3 comments:
ahhhhh!
Traffic signs are signs erected at the side of roads to provide information to road users. With traffic volumes increasing over the last eight decades, many countries have adopted pictorial signs or otherwise simplified and standardized their signs to facilitate international travel where language differences would create barriers, and in general to help enhance traffic safety.
=)
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