There’s a Co-op near my kids’ school, it has a cash machine and useful things. It’s also near the car-park that most parents use when dropping kids off, it’s very handy.
Today after dropping the children off I needed to get some cash, so I made for the cash machine. As I was preparing to cross a short access road, I witnessed a small grey car reverse into an old man, who fell down. It was a really slow impact, the driver stopped immediately and there were plenty of witnesses to confirm that it was an accident.
The driver (a young woman) got out of the car and went straight to the old man, to see if he was OK, she was obviously shocked herself and apart from establishing that he wasn’t unconsious or anything, she was at a bit of a loss. A couple of nearby builders (they were doing some work to the shop sign ) stepped in to take care of the old man, and established what his name was. Another lady heard him say that he was just going in to buy his papers so offered to go in and get them for him.
I’m pretty sure that the old fella was as embarassed as he was bruised, but he accepted all the offers of help graciously. Then there was a lady with an NHS ID badge on – of course there was – and she took over assessing the old guy.
The driver had taken a step back by now, and was visibly shaking and trying not to cry, she kept saying that she was reversing really slowly and she just didn’t see him. It’s true, she was, and I and several other people confirmed to her that this was the case. I’d stepped up to her at this point and took her shaking hand and my other arm partly around her shoulder, she seemed to calm a little. One of the builders said “it was just an accident, these things happen”.
The old fella didn’t appear to be badly injured at all, apart from maybe his pride, but the NHS lady and the builders got him up off the floor and in to the driver’s car, because she was going to give him a lift to his home, apparently he only lived around the corner. The builders even said they would follow her in their van, so that they could help the guy out at his destination, and that’s what they did, and I went and got my cash.
People are brilliant. When you see people about their business; builders, mums, childminders, shop assistants, that’s just one face you see, you don’t know what else they know or what other experiences they’ve had. One of the builders said at one point, that he worked for years in Mental Health, for example.
A bunch of strangers worked together to help other strangers in a crisis, and then went back to their separate lives and tasks. A first aid flash mob. A story of co-ordinated compassion and empathy developed from small disparate interventions, and kindness drove us all.
A hopeful start to a Wednesday morning.
Smelly Melly 