Friday, August 20, 2004
Transience
Sometimes we forget how therapeutic words can be.
One of my friends wrote this in the aftermath, to cope.
It's very moving in it's own strange way. And it's all true.
I think it's a poignant reminder to us all... to seize life.
Well I had a wonderful time in Rhodes - 2 weeks.
First of all my camera gets nicked from the room, then some of the wife’s clothes, BUT something even more terrible happened.
As we drove along a typical Greek nasty road, a motor cycle passed us at high speed; it was the chopper type, so not really built for fast speed and awful roads. On the back was a lovely blonde Greek girl, and her boy friend was driving.
Now I don't know if any of you know this, but if someone dies in a road accident in Greece, they place a sort of religious shrine at the side of the road to remember them.
Well as this motor cycle came speeding past, Noticed it was bouncing around a lot and found the conditions a bit tuff ( I have been driving bikes for 26 years), I then turned to our driver and said " they are going to have a shrine if they carry on", Words which I was about to eat.:(
Ploughing into a back of a car which is doing 30 mph, on a bike doing 80 mph is very silly, and this is what happened, the driver stayed on the bike as the rear of the car stopped him from going over it, But the girl did fly over the car, and the impact was such, the car they hit was propelled forward, so much so it then ran over the poor girl whom had been flung 50 yards or so up the road.
Having just come round the corner we saw this picture of carnage, I made our driver stop and ran out to look for the girl, I could see the bike driver and he was a bit ripped up, the driver of the car they hit was covered in blood, as the impact had thrown their blood on him via the back window of the car.
I ran up the road pass the car they had hit and looked all around for the girl whom I guessed had been slung forward, for about 10 secs in circles, desperately hoping to find her, Yes but I did, as I turned back to the car wreck, I saw her blonde hair from beneath the right front wheel of the car.........................
I ran over to the car where some spack Greek decided to push the car which in turn was crushing the girl!
Now being a rather large chap around 16 stone, I showed this guy my disapproval of what he was doing by pushing him away from the car with considerable force, and told him, and the other zombies whom where shuffling slowly towards the wreck that we must lift the car off the girl, it was a smallish car and I figured we could do it.
Now they where either, deaf, thick as poo or terrified as they seemed to hang back, only by running up to them and screaming foul words did they realize I wanted them to help me lift the car, three guys took one side and I had the other, we then lifted the car of her, don't ask me how I done my side on my own, Perhaps the situation had given me super powers or a blast of strength.
After this I went down on my knees to asses the poor girl, whom by now was fitting badly and calling for her mum.
I could not place her in the recovery position, because the back of her skull had came off, and around 4 pints of blood and brains where on the floor, I took her pulse, it was weak and slow, I checked her stomach and chest area, it was ripped up bad by the low valance of the car, I knew then she was beyond help.........
I got some guys to hold towels over her and shade her whilst I cooled her forehead with water waiting for the ambulance to arrive,
They flung her in the back like a bit of meat, no post hospital care like our paramedics.
After smoking 20 fags in 2 mins, we then went to our beach for a swim.
Later that day, I went to change some cash to euros, and was told of a fatality...... it was her, this is how I found out she had died, I must admit I felt a bit ill for a few mins.
That night I got drunk, People kept telling me I had done all I could, but it did not really help.
I think my wife summed it up best as we went to bed that night, she said
An English gentleman gave dignity and soothed a Greek Goddess as she lay dying, he whom gave this, gave the last and greatest gift of all.
God bless you my Greek girl, blonde hair and around 28 years old
I never knew you, but I tried for you.
Not wearing crash helmets on a motor bike = death.
I don't really have any words fitting for the occasion - all I can do is thank God that Tim was there, and offer a small prayer for the girl, and her family.
God, forgive us our daily stupidities - and forgive us our pitiful humanities... and grant that we live life as it should be done. with Grace, and Compassion.
******
Sigh. I suppose I really should have turned the other cheek.
So I'm taking down the wearereallytiredofxiaxue email transcript.
I'll leave the few comments so that wossname can continue abusing me since it seems to amuse him... but yeah. my bad.
One of my friends wrote this in the aftermath, to cope.
It's very moving in it's own strange way. And it's all true.
I think it's a poignant reminder to us all... to seize life.
Well I had a wonderful time in Rhodes - 2 weeks.
First of all my camera gets nicked from the room, then some of the wife’s clothes, BUT something even more terrible happened.
As we drove along a typical Greek nasty road, a motor cycle passed us at high speed; it was the chopper type, so not really built for fast speed and awful roads. On the back was a lovely blonde Greek girl, and her boy friend was driving.
Now I don't know if any of you know this, but if someone dies in a road accident in Greece, they place a sort of religious shrine at the side of the road to remember them.
Well as this motor cycle came speeding past, Noticed it was bouncing around a lot and found the conditions a bit tuff ( I have been driving bikes for 26 years), I then turned to our driver and said " they are going to have a shrine if they carry on", Words which I was about to eat.:(
Ploughing into a back of a car which is doing 30 mph, on a bike doing 80 mph is very silly, and this is what happened, the driver stayed on the bike as the rear of the car stopped him from going over it, But the girl did fly over the car, and the impact was such, the car they hit was propelled forward, so much so it then ran over the poor girl whom had been flung 50 yards or so up the road.
Having just come round the corner we saw this picture of carnage, I made our driver stop and ran out to look for the girl, I could see the bike driver and he was a bit ripped up, the driver of the car they hit was covered in blood, as the impact had thrown their blood on him via the back window of the car.
I ran up the road pass the car they had hit and looked all around for the girl whom I guessed had been slung forward, for about 10 secs in circles, desperately hoping to find her, Yes but I did, as I turned back to the car wreck, I saw her blonde hair from beneath the right front wheel of the car.........................
I ran over to the car where some spack Greek decided to push the car which in turn was crushing the girl!
Now being a rather large chap around 16 stone, I showed this guy my disapproval of what he was doing by pushing him away from the car with considerable force, and told him, and the other zombies whom where shuffling slowly towards the wreck that we must lift the car off the girl, it was a smallish car and I figured we could do it.
Now they where either, deaf, thick as poo or terrified as they seemed to hang back, only by running up to them and screaming foul words did they realize I wanted them to help me lift the car, three guys took one side and I had the other, we then lifted the car of her, don't ask me how I done my side on my own, Perhaps the situation had given me super powers or a blast of strength.
After this I went down on my knees to asses the poor girl, whom by now was fitting badly and calling for her mum.
I could not place her in the recovery position, because the back of her skull had came off, and around 4 pints of blood and brains where on the floor, I took her pulse, it was weak and slow, I checked her stomach and chest area, it was ripped up bad by the low valance of the car, I knew then she was beyond help.........
I got some guys to hold towels over her and shade her whilst I cooled her forehead with water waiting for the ambulance to arrive,
They flung her in the back like a bit of meat, no post hospital care like our paramedics.
After smoking 20 fags in 2 mins, we then went to our beach for a swim.
Later that day, I went to change some cash to euros, and was told of a fatality...... it was her, this is how I found out she had died, I must admit I felt a bit ill for a few mins.
That night I got drunk, People kept telling me I had done all I could, but it did not really help.
I think my wife summed it up best as we went to bed that night, she said
An English gentleman gave dignity and soothed a Greek Goddess as she lay dying, he whom gave this, gave the last and greatest gift of all.
God bless you my Greek girl, blonde hair and around 28 years old
I never knew you, but I tried for you.
Not wearing crash helmets on a motor bike = death.
I don't really have any words fitting for the occasion - all I can do is thank God that Tim was there, and offer a small prayer for the girl, and her family.
God, forgive us our daily stupidities - and forgive us our pitiful humanities... and grant that we live life as it should be done. with Grace, and Compassion.
******
Sigh. I suppose I really should have turned the other cheek.
So I'm taking down the wearereallytiredofxiaxue email transcript.
I'll leave the few comments so that wossname can continue abusing me since it seems to amuse him... but yeah. my bad.
