Don’t Be THAT Someone

Do
you want to know the reason I’m afraid of every single Cadillac
Escalade I see? My brother was t-boned by a black Cadillac Escalade
that ran a red light going 60 miles per hour on a street where the
speed limit is 40 miles per hour.

My
dad ran out of the front door screaming something incoherent at my
mom. She was in the kitchen getting together a plate of food for my
brother for when he got home from his classes. By the time she
responded with, “What did you say?”, my dad was already gone.

She
got a call from my dad about 10 minutes later to walk to the
intersection right outside of our neighborhood. She still had no idea
what was going on, but she told me to watch my little sister and make
sure she didn’t burn down the house.

A
couple of hours passed and my parents still hadn’t come back and my
brother wasn’t home yet; this was weird because I know his last
class ended at 5:45 and it only takes 45 minutes to drive home from
Arizona State University. I was completely unbothered by everything
happening because I was so focused on studying for my exam.

I
just put my sister to bed and was getting ready for bed myself when I
finally got a call from my mom. She told me that she, my dad, and my
brother were going to the hospital because Adam was in a car
accident. I almost dropped the phone because my body went numb; when
I say my body went numb, I was about as limp as wet noodle. I stayed
up, sitting on the couch in the family room, trying to read my
biology textbook; however, I was seeing the words, but I wasn’t
reading them.

When
my brother finally came home, he stormed into the house, ripped off
his neck brace, and pouted, “I’m so upset. I don’t have a car
to get to school anymore”. All I could do was hug him and give a
sigh of relief that removed so much pressure from my heart.

If
he had been hit an inch to the right, he would have died on sight. If
there hadn’t been someone sitting at the same red light who had
helped my brother out, he could have been caught in the car as it lit
on fire.

Imagine
having someone plow into your loved ones car. Do not be that someone.
If you are in the driver seat, you need to make sure that you are not
that “someone” for another person.

Please,
drive safe and get home to your loved ones in one piece.