Drive Through Window

Photo is generic, not from this story.

If you haven't heard yet, you will soon. An SUV driven by an elderly man smashed through the window of a Chabad Chanukah family festival where at least 150 people were celebrating the day with crafts, games, etc. My heart goes out to the father-daughter, and two siblings who are in critical condition as well as to all the others injured (I believe 14 in all). At first I thought it may be a terrorist attack because someone told me the driver was young and still managed to keep accelerating through the building until reaching the opposite wall. I understood it wasn't when I heard 'elderly'. My storefront has twice been visited by elderly drivers who think they are pressing on the brake, wondering why it's not stopping, and are pressing harder and harder on what turns out to be the accelerator. Once I actually ran outside, reached in to shut off the lady's engine while she was still pedal to the medal and in shock.

I have seen and heard from relatives how my dad's reaction time has decreased, he has blown stop signs and I believe he should not be driving. But he won't hear it. "We are trying to make him an invalid," he says. Meanwhile, it's a matter of time before he hurts/kills himself, my mom, others in the car, or innocent bystanders. My sister refuses to be in the same car while he drives. It's time to read him the riot act. The elderly are so stubborn and don't recognize their limitations. Everyone else must be overreacting, he thinks. I bet I will be the same way. I don't admit that my body can't handle the challenges as well as it did 20 years ago. Maybe I'll look back over this post and stop myself when the time is at hand. Ah, who am I kidding, I won't be able to see then.

I can't image the pain those families are going through right now. All I can say is, "God help them." What has made this tragedy more real to me has not been what I see in my own aging father but the fact that my kids where right there with their mom, one window over. They described in detail seeing the bleeding faces, the man stuck under the vehicle, the screaming, the fear. My daughter says she isn't afraid of scary shows anymore because it isn't real but this was. "Isn't Chanukah supposed to be happy? Why couldn't it happen when it wasn't a holiday?" I could only tell her that accidents happen, that I love her and that God was watching over her. I didn't let her hear me cry as she described the scene while I imaged their crumpled bodies. I don't know what nightmares they will have but I thank God they are safe.

Refuah Shelaimah to all and God Speed (but don't let the elderly).

11pm update: Yitzchak ben Hadassa Devorah Basya Fayga, is in serious but stable condition. His daughter Yakirah Breindel bas Rochel is Boruch Hashem Home.
Rivka bas Chana is recovering from multiple injuries and her son Daniel bas Rivka is doing Boruch Hashem better.
Please also have in mind Shmuel ben Tova and Yehudis bas Tova - a brother & sister who both have severe head trauma.
Please also have in mind Yitzchak Zev ben Masha Ehsha and Yaakov Zvi ben Sora.
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Accident

Coincidence, I think not. Yesterday I was reading a post by XGH about slowing down (May 8,2007 “Davening Violation-4 Points”). This morning my live-in said I’m always in a rush. Well, I should’ve registered warning. It had rained this morning but the roads were only mildly wet. Imagine my surprise when I spun out while rushing to work. I was in the left lane merging into the middle and I started to skid but there was another car in the right lane. I tapped the brakes to give me some distance so I would ease behind it and the next thing I knew I lost control. I veered back to the middle lane as the tail end of my car started to 360 the wrong way. I made eye contact with the lady in the left lane as the front of my car faced the front of her car. I thought we would become intimately involved any second. But she must have slowed just enough for me to pass to her left, my tail end still turning. This short stretch of the Southern State Parkway just happened to have a wide grass divider before a metal guardrail. My tail was still turning on the grass as the back hit the divider and bounced me to a stop facing forward.

I want to thank the MTA man, whose name I didn’t get, for stopping immediately to see how I was. I, thank God, am fine. My bumper is somewhat scratched and some paint chipped. It’s off its hinges a small bit and I have one broken taillight. So I’ll have to shell out for a new bumper but at least I don’t need to by a coffee today because, as you might very well imagine, my adrenaline is through the roof. It’s a miracle I wasn’t hurt and that there were only frayed nerves instead of secondary accidents.

I was surprised by how cool I was during the spinout and afterwards. Sometimes you have to let life take the driver seat for a while, while you become to be the spectator. Thanks for the show, glad its over.

P.S. Thanks God, you get my eternal thanks and my vote.