Car v Child

[MAGPIE]

Just thought I’d share my motoring event of the week …

This happens thirty odd minutes into a 360 km trip. I was driving through some winding hill country, this is typical rural NZ state highway, narrow single lane each way, 100 km/h limit, cutting through bush and farmland with next to no run off. It was a wet afternoon, and the roads were slippery, but traffic was light.
I rounded a bend to see a school bus pulling back onto the road after dropping off half a dozen or so teenager’s, my first thought was “damn, now I’m stuck behind a bus for who knows how long.
As I brake for the bus I was aware that the kids were skylarking on the roadside (my side) my foot instinctively mashed the brake pedal just as one of the kids takes off across the road straight into the path off an oncoming car, both the wife and I let out a very loud WTF !!! (We try not to swear in front of our kids) and then smack, the headlight explodes and bumper crumples as it impacts her hip and she gets thrown through the air and into farm fence at the side of the road. I pull up hard and hit the hazards while telling the wife to call 111, the other kids reach her first and it is just chaos, wailing and yelling and screaming.
I get to her and she is conscious but bleeding from a few lacerations to her face, I’m trying to calm her down as well as her friends who are still going nuts, I eventually get them to shut up enough so I can take her vitals and do a quick primary to check for other injuries/blood loss. She complains she can’t feel her feet so I keep her still and monitor her vitals signs. By now a few people have stopped and most handover blankets to try and keep the pouring rain off us and her to keep warm.
Somebody has got through to the Ambulance so I ask for the phone, I pass on the details and request an ETA… damn 30 minutes. One of the friends accidently stands on the girl’s foot and she lets out a profanity filled tirade, guess you can feel your feet now huh ! I give her another check over and can only see grazes, cuts and bruising in addition to the couple of lacerations on her head. It is starting to look like this 13 y.o has dodged a bullet. I think the fact the car was going uphill on a wet and winding road has saved this girls life because the driver had zero chance to react to the situation.
Eventually the Police arrive although not one them volunteers to take over, so I continue monitoring her vitals and giving reassurance until the Ambulance arrives, I give the Paramedic a quick run down of the situation and then scarper, I’ve still got five hours driving ahead of me, what a start to the trip.

Anyway the moral of the story…

Don’t trust kids near roads, they are unpredictable at best, and down right dangerous at worst.