All it takes is less than a second... and its done.
On the one hand, listening to a 911 call or dispatching police or fire rescue to that call can be very frightening, but to then see it for yourself is completely different. I'm a 911 police dispatcher, I have been doing it for 9 years now, and while I have become desensitized to most of what I hear over that phone or radio, there are still some calls that serve as a "reminder" to how valuable life is. I've heard it all, pick any scenario (within reason), and more than likely I have either taken the call myself, or I have dispatched police and fire rescue units to the scene. In order to aid my understanding for the job, I also take ride alongs with my local police department, and this night would serve as one of those reminders.
The officer I am riding with is a 5 year veteran, and an officer I know personally through mutual friends. We were driving along our sector, patrolling the areas we were designated, and doing routine checks. Suddenly, we receive a call for a possible vehicle vs. pedestrian on the highway, possibly one ejected. Now already in my dispatching head, these types of calls are obviously never good. You know in the back of your mind, what kind of scene this must be, and mentally preparing for it, will do you no good no matter how many times you've heard it before.
We rush to the scene code 3 (lights, sirens, balls to the wall) to where this accident occurred, which in this case was on the highway that passes through our city. The local city does not have jurisdiction due to it being the highway patrol's area, but they are always there to respond to aid in these types of calls. The entire time I am feeling a bit weird. While I am extremely excited to respond to this kind of scene, finally to be able to see this first hand, the empathetic side of me is already thinking of the loved ones that need to be called to the scene, to the hospital, to identify potential bodies, etc.
We arrive on scene to what looks like an absolute war zone. Vehicle debris everywhere, traffic coming to a grinding halt, and what appeared to be survivors of the crash standing outside their vehicle. Then I saw it, first it was the lone shoe on the ground, next the blood splatter on the pavement, and then of course, the body of the ejected male who was DOA (dead on arrival). His car, after hitting another vehicle in the roadway, flipped over several times before landing back on all 4 tires, and the front windshield has a giant hole where he was ejected. The other vehicle, also flipped over several times, landed in a ditch on the embankment to the highway which was at least 2 feet of water deep, driver of the vehicle also DOA, 2 passengers without a scratch are standing around dazed, and another with minor injuries. The scene was gruesome, certainly chilling, and sparked so many thoughts.
All in all, these types of situations make you think just how life can be extinguished in the blink of an eye. Families had to be called to be notified of what had happened to their loved ones in the most brutal way, and it makes you contemplate how you live life, and maybe cherishing it a little more. Life is sometimes taken for granted and its important to live it to the fullest.
Thank you for reading everyone, I'll hopefully be posting more calls I receive or dispatch!
Link to the story:
http://miami.cbslocal.com/2017/05/06/2-ejected-killed-in-crash-on-i-75/