Unexpected

I'm not ok with it. Not any of it.

I had just returned to the newsroom last night to file a quick story before heading home when I got the call: MVA with injuries and entrapment in Farmington. No problem, I thought. I'll dash out and snap a few photos, write a quick summary and be on my way.

That's not how it played out.

On this night, the deserted country crossroad — usually blanketed in darkness — was lit up like Times Square. Flashing emergency lights from hastily parked trucks were harsh and glaring — they made my eyes burn and my heart beat harder. As pulled over and got out of my van, I knew instantly that this one was going to be different.

The rain streamed down and I could see portable spotlights pooling light over two mangled vehicles conjoined in a nearby field. Dozens of first responders circled the mess, forming a barrier. They weren't working, they were waiting — and barely talking. Not a good sign, ever.

I paced back and forth slowly for over an hour, up and down the country road, into an adjoining field and back, snapping pictures from a distance and waiting to hear official word about the crash. I got it: one dead, one injured, one uninjured.

All of them changed forever.

In one split second, the lives of two 24-year-old girls and one 25-year-old man took a turn none of them anticipated. One was killed immediately and the others will relive that moment for the rest of their lives.

I thought about how many times I've traveled this intersection, and how many times I've been casual with the rules of a country road. I thought about how I "know" what the rest of my day is going to look like, the rest of my week — and how they thought they knew, too. They didn't. I don't. We don't.

I thought about the parents of the girls and the boy (adults to the rest of the world, but forever children to their moms and dads) and how their hearts will never, ever be mended. I thought about the victims' families, friends, coworkers and communities — all impacted by what happened in that one split second.

And I thought about the first responders, who looked, for all the world, like they were standing guard over the most priceless treasure in the world. They were.

I'm thinking today about the three people who believed they had the rest of their lives planned out, and found out that absolutely anything can happen, at any time, even when we're least expecting it.

I won't live in fear, but I won't be casual about the way I handle fire.

I'm thinking also about the first responders who showed unflinching honor, respect, and sensitivity at the scene of this tragedy. The next time I'm in trouble, whenever that is, I hope you're the ones who show up.


Also available at: VictorPost.com.