Starlight Murder

The best stories I know are true. This one is about a fatal car vs. pedestrian accident that I eye-witnessed.



I had just left work, the stereo was up full blast. Starlight by Muse was playing and, being a Friday, I was happy and celebrating the coming weekend with a little jam session in my truck. The woofers were bouncing my hair and vibrating my seat.



"Far away

This ship is taking me far away

Far away from the memories

Of the people who care if I live or die..."



I drive through a rough part of town with a lot of homeless people and several bars. The road has four lanes and few street lights. It was dark and the headlights looked like huge stars coming at me.



"Starlight"



Then the unreal happened. It looked like the silhouette of a large doll's head flipped in front of the car coming toward me in the opposing traffic lane.



"I will be chasing the starlight"



I didn't believe that anything bad had happened. Perhaps someone was sprinting across the street. Surely they had made it because the car coming toward me was not slowing down. Then the headlights of that car bounced up and down as if there were hydraulic shocks in the front end. The car still continued to accelerate. I was still 50 feet away, so I did not suspect that there would be a body on the road behind that car.



"Until the end of my life

I don't know if it's worth it anymore"



It was a woman's body! My mind slowed down... 1. Stop the truck. 2. Turn down the music. 3. Emergency lights turned on. 4. Stop all traffic coming toward her.



"Hold you in my arms

I just wanted to hold

You in my arms"



I ran up to her twisted body. Waving at traffic, I noticed several people calling on their cell phones. Good, 911 had been called. Bending down, I could not see her face under her mass of curly brown hair. She was thin and her legs were bent at impossible angles. One arm looked fine but the other one looked like it had been wrung out like a dish rag. Surprisingly there was very little blood.

She tried to move, but I spoke softly to her and told her just to breathe and be still, help was coming.



"My life

You electrify my life

Let's conspire to ignite

All the souls that would die just to feel alive"



The ambulance was there shortly. They had considerable trouble getting her on a back board and putting her neck in a neck brace. The odd thing was that her torso was on it's stomach and yet her head faced the sky. Some things are hard for the human brain to comprehend the first few moments that you see something. Her head was twisted around completely backwards.



"But I'll never let you go

If you promised not to fade away

Never fade away"



I can never forget that night. Her shoes that had flown in opposite directions across the street. I found her purse contents and weed bag and then tucked them together for her. The damn car never stopped even though they had to four-wheel over her body! The driver was caught and was drunk, but that is small comfort compared to the blatant alcoholic disregard for human life.



"Our hopes and expectations

Black holes and revelations



Aside from the obvious consequences of drinking and driving, I realize that any day I could be gone, in an instant. So I don't wait for my "hopes and expectations" to come true. Being so close to the "black hole" of death has given me the "revelation" that I have to live every day to the fullest. I have to love my family and friends the best I can, and be thankful for every chance to do just that.



Our hopes and expectations

Black holes and revelations"