Yes. And advance apologies for the length.
In my gap year, rather than hike around Oz or write poetry in Paris, I worked as a waitress in a middle-of-nowhere hotel/carvery, down a long, desolate road. The only scenes of note down the road were the railway (which went under the road) and a completely random McDonald's Drive-Thru (why are they always in the most unlikely places?) Anyway.

The road took a good twenty minutes at a steady pace, and, the year 2000 as it was, I listened to the radio on my Sony (tape!) Walkman. All was well, at 6am, as I walked to the hotel to serve breakfast.

Through my earphones (and I'm almost positive it was Offspring's Pretty Fly for a White Guy) I hear a screecing sound, followed by a dull, heavy thud. The road is on a bump, so I can't see ahead. Over the bump comes a very fast red car. 'Blimey', thinks I, 'I wonder if he hit a deer?' (I was surrounded by fields and forest). Quickening my pace I went to the aid of the poor fluffy fox/rabbit/pheasant that the evil red car had probably joyridden over.

As I got over the brow of the hill I saw a car, embedded in the metal railway bridge. It was a little black car, and the windscreen was broken, with a post sticking out of it. A hissing sound was coming from under the crumpled up bonnet, but I couldn't see any smoke or fire.

Now, I was 17. I wasn't worldly-wise. I was frightened, and I didn't know what to do. Luckily, I had a big, sticky-up-aerial mobile phone.

I ran up to the car and saw something I just wasn't mentally able to deal with. The female driver's head just wasn't attached. A metal sign had pierced the windscreen and severed her neck, even bending the metal back on the chair's headrest. I don't know what she looked like, all I could see was blood, and lots of it. I was staring through the (open) driver's side window, and looking over this scene of horror, I could see a male passenger. His legs looked crushed, but I couldn't see very well. All I remember is that he was screaming the most blood curdling scream, he must have been in sheer agony. I tried saying 'it's OK. I'm going to call an ambulance, stay awake', but the sound of my voice made him look over to me, and he saw the driver and the fact she was very clearly dead. The look of realisation and the terrible wail this poor man let out will always stay with me. He was screaming for me to do something for his wife, to get her out of the car. I pulled out my mobile and called 999.

They kept me on the phone, and I had to describe the scene. The guy couldn't get out of the car due to his legs, and I couldn't even get to him to check his responses as his whole door had hit the metal bridge and stayed there. I was so calm, though my heart was going crazy, and I remember repeating 'what do I do? I don't know what to do. The woman on the phone was asking me if I was sure the driver was dead and I kept having to say she was, in front of her husband, who was hysterical. The ambulance driver asked me if anyone else was in the car. I said no, but they made me check. I couldn't see anything until I saw, behind the man, a car seat with a tiny baby in it. Awake, and just staring.

I was terrified. I thought the baby was dead - she (pink blanket) wasn't making a sound. You know when you are so shocked and scared and upset you can't actually catch your breath to speak? Well, I couldn't get the words out to the emergency people, I was just making horrible wet hiccupy sounds.

I reached over the dead woman, and pulled myself into the car. I was actually laying over the metal post (and thankfully not on her lap). I seemed to spend ages trying to unbuckle that car seat. All this time the man was screaming the baby's name (which I don't want to repeat here). I managed to pick up the baby but I didn't have the strength to slide back out of the window carrying her, so I handed her to the man. I fell backwards, out of the window, and picked up the mobile, the woman was still there. I think she was asking me how I was when a fire engine turned up (a police car and an ambulance turned up whilst I was talking to the firemen).

I never saw them cut open the car, etc, Because they sat me on the steps of the ambulance and checked I wasn't hurt (I wasn't, but I had some blood on me). A police car took me to the station and I gave a statement, people kept bringing me hot weak tea full of sweetener and they even gave me dinner - lasagne - I ate the lot.

I never told my dad (who I lived with at the time) as he'd never have let me walk to work again, but I did eventually hand in my notice. I developed some problems eating, and lost a huge amount of weight, arriving at uni ten months later a mere 6 1/2 stone. I tried counselling but it wasn't for me. I'm okay now, but I guess it was some kind of post traumatic stress thing.

I never met the man or his daughter after that day. I went to work the next day to find some yellow and black tape running the length of the bridge, the stump of a sawn-off signpost, and a bunch of yellow flowers.
(Northern Lovely, Mon 3 Mar 2008, 10:54, 6 replies)

S H I T

thats horrific. Please tell me they caught the other driver or I'll be cross and self rightous all morning!
( Naked Ape call me Caitlyn, Mon 3 Mar 2008, 11:00, closed)

I don't know
I don't even know if the other car was involved.
(Northern Lovely, Mon 3 Mar 2008, 11:19, closed)

you poor thing
that's truly horrendous.
Do you know if the baby was OK?
(jennymnemonic, Mon 3 Mar 2008, 13:42, closed)

Brave.
You were stunningly brave. I doubt many people would have reacted like you did.
(singingringingtree Living in the past., Mon 3 Mar 2008, 22:34, closed)

As far as I know,
the baby was fine - the man passed her out the window to firemen and she was taking it all in.

I don't think I reacted very well at all - I went onto autopilot, and I had huge problems trying to comprehend and process what I was seeing. I'd act differently now, but it's easy to say that in hindsight.
(Northern Lovely, Tue 4 Mar 2008, 10:07, closed)

You need to give yourself more credit.
It sounds as if you reacted very well indeed. You didn't run away, you didn't panic. You called for emergency services and got them there quickly. It sounds as if you did everything you could do, and did it very well, considering the trauma of the situation.
(Musuko, Wed 5 Mar 2008, 15:17, closed)