Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1920-08-19
FIRST AID

The other. day, during q heavy
thunder and rain storm, an automo-
bile containing a family Of four per
sons and their chauffeur was cora
| fortably bowling along a State road
miles from many town. The family
group consisted of an old lady of u
and three younger women Of t=tween
80 and so. The chauffeur was driv-
ing very carefully fer he wa going
down hill ari the rs,r made the
roads slippery. Tic road WAS also
crowded with vehicles, for it was
Saturday afternoon. Many of the
drivers were going very fast, anxious
to get aawy from the storm.
Suddenly one of the drivers decid-
ed to shoot out of the ascending line
on the hill and pass the car in front
of him. lie shot out, AMI ms car
skidded straight across the road
and crashed into the automobile Of
the family party, The impact wreck
S ed both cars and filled the air with
flying glass and spliaters; but by
what seemed a miracle no one in
either cars was seriously hurt
though all were badly shaken T up.
and there were numerous spralrs
and bruises.
To add to the situation the storm
increased it's intensity. The rain
came down in deluge to an accom-
paniment of terrific thunder and
lightning. Within what was left Of
the wrecked cars the occupants were
anxiously examining and reassuring
one another. The. old lady Of n,
who had gone through the episode
like heroine, ad now lost her nerve
and was quietly crying behind her
handkerchief.
The utterly Incredible feature Of
the situation is this:
Though, as I have said, the road
was filled with vehicles, though
dozens of them stopped for mo-
ment, to look curiously at the
wrecked cars, and to ask how the
accident had happened, for fully 90
minutes not one passenby offered as
sistance to the four women, or sug-
gested taking them to shelter in his
own car.
If anyone had told me this story I
should have had difficulty in ac-
cepting it. I have always firmly be-
lieved and as firmly maintained that
we Americans are the most sympa-
thetic and the quickest emergency
workers in the world. But I can
vouch for the truth of this incident.
I was one Of the four women.
We were deeply concerned about
the..,old lady. We knew she cpaightt
be seriously hurt without admitting
it, or possibly even without fully
realizing it. We were frantic
to get her to some shelter. Car
after car slowed down, the occupants
stared, the car rushed on. We did
not ask for help. 1t was so obvious
" not in the programme of those
who stared. No doubt the storm was
their excuse. The men at the wheels
were thinking of their own passen-
grs and rushing them to shelter
But the storm was making things
very hard for us, and the nearest
town lay several miles away.
AT last, 20 minutes after the ac-
cident, the Good Samaritan came.
He was big young man in big
touring car, and from the moment of |
his arrival our troubles were over.
He was all understanding, sympathy |
and kindness. He drove us to the
house of our nearest friends.
When we parted I said eff you
are ever in an accident l hope you
will meet someone just like your
self" But he won't. There are too
few of him.,
The episode has destroyed my
most cherished illusion. would
have sworn that any one of the
would have done what
that young man did. Why didn't
they?
The fact is universally admitted, |
because based on the number of ac-
cidents, that there is more reckless
driving in America at
present than ever before. With our
growing recklessness we are losing