There's many things in life you just don't want to see or don't want to happen, accidents which involve peoples lives being one of them. This morning at exactly 10:30am we witnessed a collision between a cyclist and a motorbike, I remember the time well as I had just looked at the time on my phone before looking up and seeing a guy on a cycle and a guy on a motorbike approach one another at a fast speed. We can see they were going to collide, there were those few seconds where we helplessly watched it happen before slamming on the brakes just a couple of metres away from them.
I wont go into detail about what I saw and how it looked, I don't want you to have the vision which I can see haunting me for weeks to come. But something came across me which I don't think I've seen before, and that was bravery. I jumped out of the car at the same time as phoning a ambulance and did what I could to help, by this time others had came to help. I had helped to stop bleeding and got what I could of out the car to help, guess the fact we were on the way to the beach with towels in our bags helped.
The guy on the motorbike some how escaped with just a few scratches, he manged to stand up and walk over to the side of the road and sit down, it was the cyclist who was obviously worst off. A few cars behind was a doctor who came running over to help at the same time as the ambulance arriving. I went and sat with the motorbike guy, he was in deep shock and was staring at this cyclist who was on the ground just feet away. I could not begin to imagine how he was feeling and what was going through his mind. I somehow tried to take his mind off what was unraveling in front of us, until the police came. The cyclist was put in the back of the ambulance and I returned to the car, to my friend who was driving and to Oli who was in the back.
Then it hit me what I had actually just seen and what I actually did, I flew out of that car and reacted in a way I never would of thought possible. I stayed calm and did what I needed too, of course it was the right and only thing to do. Anyone would of done exactly the same thing, but it was me this time that did it. I guess I could of discussed it with my friend who was to stay in the car with Oli and who was to help but I knew his dislike of blood and the shock of having to brake so suddenly meant that I was the one to go.
We sat in the car and waited for instructions from the police, we were asked what happened and then told that they had to wait and see what was having with the cyclist. Most cars and other people who had responded had now gone, as we were at the slip road to the motorway this had been closed and cars were queuing behind the police cars which were all over the place.
The policeman which had asked us what happened came over and explained that the cyclists injuries had become life threatening and that we were to wait around to see what would happen next, photos of the scene needed to be taken and that we were main witness and needed to give full statements. Now it was feeling real, more real then what I saw when I was stopping the bleeding. he policeman said it how it was - life threatening. This had me jumping out the car to be sick. This was real life and not some crime program on the television.
The cyclist was rushed off to hospital, we were told that a policeman had gone with him and that we would know how he was doing when they knew. We could do nothing but sit and wait, we talked about what we saw, but nothing helped with the shock of what our eyes actually did see. It did look worse then it was, I wasn't expecting a pulse from either of them when I got out of that car. That's how horrific it looked from where I was sat.
Oli was extremely well behaved which I'm so proud of him for, cant of been easy for him stuck in the car for a couple of hours in this weather with lack of food and suitable entertainment. He didn't have a clue what was going on, he enjoyed playing with the policemen but I would of rather that of been at some summer fete and not the scene of a accident.
I wish I could explain that relief I felt when we were updated on the cyclist and told that he was out of danger. I'm not embarrassed to say I prayed, I prayed so hard as that ambulance pulled away that he would be ok. He was someones son, husband by the looks of the wedding ring and eve possibly someones father. My mind was all over the place what with emotions, thoughts and the playbacks. We gave statements and then after what seemed like forever we were allowed to go. We were on route to the beach after just viewing a house, we didn't feel like the beach after this. We didn't even want to be on the road or in the car anymore. We turned around and headed straight back where we sat and drank tea and tried to forget about the mornings events.
I don't know who's fault it was and if either of the cyclist or the guy on the motorbike were at wrong, I'm just relived that the cyclist was sensible enough to be wearing a helmet which definitely saved his life and that we were not caught up in any of it simply because of that little life which was in the back of our car.