This day went terribly wrong.....
The day was this past Saturday, and it didn't go wrong for me. In fact, it didn't go wrong for any one I even knew. But, in the end, two young people lay dead,almost at my feet.
Hubby and I are season ticket holders to Texas Motor Speedway. This past weekend we had the Craftsman Truck Series race on Friday night, and the IRL race on Saturday night.
The weather was, in a word, fabulous. The temps were only in the low 80's and there was a light breeze. Amazing for Texas this time of year. Perhaps it was that, and the excitement of attending an event where the participants "cruise" around at 200+ mph, that caused such reckless behavior. I suppose we will never know.
After the race, and the visit to the pits, hubby and I headed for the parking lot. We, being veterans of TMS, knew we'd have to wait out the traffic before heading home so we were in no hurry as we moseyed on back.
When we go to our truck we noticed a lot of activity, police, fire, ambulance, etc. some 50 yards from our parking space. Through binoculars, we really couldn't make out any more than just a crowd standing around something.
Finally, our curiosity got the better of us-and I really wish it hadn't. We walked down to where the activity was.
On the ground, separated by a few feet, lay a man and a woman. A barely damaged motorcycle was standing off to the side, and a dented van was parked behind it - evidence of the collision. I used to wonder just what "massive head trauma" meant when I read about it in the newspaper. After that scene, I understand all too well. The paramedics were frantically and feverishly working on both victims. The man, with vital signs, was loaded into the back of an ambulance and it raced off. The woman would get a heartbeat, only to lose it, over and over again. The crowd was intently following each peak and valley.
Hubby asked a nice lady next to us if she knew what had happened. She said details were sketchy, but it appeared the two of them were riding the motorcycle too fast and with no helmets on when the van crossed their path. The end result was, literally, the end for two people.
As we walked back to our truck, I cried. Hubby was silent, but when he saw my tears he put his arm around my shoulder. All I could think was here were two people, having fun, and a moment's bad decision ruined the lives of everyone they knew or were related to - not to mention their own. Before getting into the truck, I turned around to look one last time. They had covered the woman with a sheet. The head was already soaked in blood, her tennis shoes and one hand stuck out from under the sheet. I thought how utterly silent and motionless death is.
Sleep was difficult and fitful that night. I kept seeing her body, lying there, and it was so sad....so final.
This morning, a paragraph in our paper detailed the accident. The police estimate the victims - both in their 30's - were traveling at 60 to 70 mph when they collided with the van. The man died on the way to the hospital, and the woman was declared dead at the scene. That's all, the end, but those of us who were there know it was so much more profound than that.
Profoundly sad.........
"Never anger a dragon, for thou art crunchy and go well with brie."
Viv
