Good people helped student after accident
Especially now, as our country reels from what feels like an open season of vituperative speech and mean-spirited action, it was both comforting and uplifting for my husband and me to witness a quiet display of decent, human kindness in Saratoga Springs this past Saturday.
Our daughter, a firstyear student at Skidmore College, passed the afternoon in the Emergency Room of Saratoga Hospital as the result of a collision with a moving pickup truck when she crossed Congress Street. Miraculously, she sustained only a sprained ankle and knee.
While the injuries will thankfully heal in a matter of weeks, we hope that the valuable lessons of kindness learned from the many good people who took care of her that afternoon will last a lifetime.
First, there are friends: When the accident occurred, our daughter was with two classmates whom she befriended only last September. One of these 18-year olds had the maturity and good sense to call 911 immediately. Not only that. She also accompanied our daughter with grace in the ambulance and cared for her like a sister in the ER until we arrived after a two-hour drive to Saratoga Springs.
And then, there are the perfect strangers: The police appeared on the scene lickety split. The ambulance zoomed in within five short minutes with a caring crew. At the ER, nurse Patty dispensed ice and pain relief to our daughter along with sage advice that the memories of this experience in tenacity would serve her well during future challenges. Moreover, 6-foot Joe lovingly leaned down and demonstrated to our daughter how to use the crutches adjusted to her petite frame as he relayed his own story of being hit by a car, complete with an honest and empathic description of how painful it really is. Finally, as we collected our daughter’s belongings to leave the ER, we noticed two damp, men’s winter jackets under her stuff. “Hah.” I said. “These must belong to other patients.” “Oh no,” our daughter responded. “A couple men covered me with their coats while I waited for the ambulance. They noticed that the road was wet where I lay, and they didn’t want me to get cold.” She continued, “They said not to worry about returning them. They just wanted me to be okay.”
Well, our daughter will be okay. And so will we all, we can hope, given the heartwarming generosity and selflessness of perfect strangers like those of Saratoga Springs.
(And to anyone missing a blue, fleece Columbia jacket or a light khaki Timberland coat, thank you and please be in touch.) – Carole B. Balin
New York City