Our backyard backs up to a pretty busy road. The speed limit is ridiculous (55)(though I just found out it may be changed to 35!!) as many people stop to turn into the various subdivisions that are on this road. We have lots of accidents on the road, especially in the winter. The morning we moved in, 6 years ago, was a slick January morning. I was at the house alone as Husband and family were packing up the other house. At about 9am, a Jeep slipped off the road, took out a 20 foot pine tree and came thru our fence. Thankfully everyone was ok, fence was replaced and we all moved on.
This is a story about another accident.
A cold, snowy night this past winter, Husband, daughter and I were up late on a Friday night watching tv. At about 11pm, we heard the sound we know too well: car hitting car. I throw on my snow boots and run to the fence line to see one of the cars on the other side of the road. It was crushed on the one side and smoke was pouring out. People were stopping to help and I yelled to them that I would call 911. I get in the house and tell Husband, who is a First Responder at his work, that the one car is crunched and I think the people in it are hurt. He throws on his coat, runs thru the backyard and leaps over the fence (It's a 5 foot fence). I was impressed, hadn't seen him move like that in years.
I make the calls to the appropriate authorities, within minutes they arrive. I decide I, too, should go out and help: put on snow boots and big, green down filled jacket (think Michelin man on steroids) and head out thru the back yard. I am a little shorter than Husband so I know I won't be able to "leap" over the fence. I get my right leg on the fence, and I am stuck!!! My jeans are stuck between the pickets and my left leg isn't able to touch the ground to boost me over.
I start yelling for Husband, who to my knowledge is still at the crash scene (along with police and paramedics). But he can't hear me over all the noise. I yell for Daughter but the house is far enough away, that she can't hear me either. I almost start yelling to the firemen that are 5 feet in front of me, but am way too embarrassed. People could be critically injured, and here I am, stuck on the fence.
After what seemed like an eternity, but was really just a couple minutes, I am able to get myself free, falling into a heap in the snow.
You would think that's the end of the story...but no...
I am determined to get to that road and help. So I go running thru the neighbors back yard to take a short cut to the street. It seems they were having a dinner party. And as I am lumbering by, in my big green coat, I see them all staring at me. I can only imagine what they were thinking (they did call the next day to verify that that was ME, running thru their yard and not some big, green Sasquatch). Our relationship has never been the same.
I finally make it to the crash scene and Husband isn't there! The authorities have everything under control, so I lumber back to the house. It seems as I was making my way thru the neighborhood, Husband had hopped back over the fence and was looking for me!
We still laugh about me getting stuck on the fence and the prospect of the paramedics having to help me down as well as the crash victims. I had a huge bruise on the inside of my leg for a long time. A nice reminder of what NOT to do in the case of an emergency.
Just call 911, leave the rescuing to the professionals.
Cat
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