Shocking Sunday

I made a 9-1-1 call today
And I was calm and collected

But in the moments right before I made the call
I was in utter shock at what happened right before my very eyes

I was driving in the parking lot of Lake Merced making my way to the exit
When I noticed a car speeding along

I remember thinking, I could speed up and pass him
But instead, I slowed down

As I pressed on the brakes, (and this was all in slow motion as I recall it)
The car continued forward, jumped the curb, hit a tree, and disappeared down the embankment.

In a split second, I couldn't believe what happened
For a split second, I thought to myself, "Was I the only one to see that?!"

I haphazardly parked, jumped out, and ran to the scene
Other bystanders did the same; one man even made his way down the hill

Without a second thought, I dialed 9-1-1
I relayed what information I could with the help of others by my side

It was a Chinese fire drill of sorts- me asking if they were okay, were they in the water, etc, and others relaying the necessary information back to me to tell the operator

It was an undeniably group effort -
I told them the location, gave my name, and hung up

Help was on the way
And I couldn't help but think that I did my good deed for the day

Within a matter of minutes, help had arrived
By this time, a crowd of rubber-neckers and curious onlookers had formed

Myself and the first few people on the scene hung around
Personally, I wanted to make sure that the people inside the car were okay

Three fire trucks, five police cars, and one ambulance were at the scene
And finally, with the help of some firemen, the couple inside the car appeared

They were dazed and confused, stunned to the bones, I'm sure
But most importantly, they were unhurt

At that point, I was able to breathe a sigh of relief
I honestly don't know how I would've felt if those people had died

They easily could have, you know, and that's what is so scary
That in a matter of seconds, a life could have been lost

When all seemed to be in good hands, I finally left the parking lot
And it was only then that I began to feel shaky

Perhaps it was the adrenaline and the surprise of what happened
Or the automatic mode that kicked in to see what I could do to help

In the end, I am thankful that those people were okay
and that I was there, even in the smallest way, to help