An open letter to the people in Michigan
Posted by Rick H. Blase on 10/29/07 in Miscellaneous Rants
Last year, my son and daughter-in-law had an accident. I sent this letter off to the local newspaper and I doubt very much that it was published. I recently was reorganizing some files and came across it again. Now through the power of the Internet, I get to share it with the world. I love MyBlogPost.com………RHB
I would like to personally thank the motorists and the people of
Fortunately none of them were injured when their Ford Explorer traveled off the road and into a stand of trees. They had been traveling for twelve hours to make it home when fatigue overtook them. The vehicle couldn’t be seen from the road, so my son stayed to comfort his two girls ages 7 and 2, while my daughter-in-law who is 5 months pregnant climbed up to the road to flag down an oncoming minivan with a red road flare.
My heart goes out to the driver of the minivan who apparently was rushing home to his or her dying spouse or family member whose house was on fire and with the rent money in a shoe box under the bed. I know for a fact he or she was a responsible person because they hadn’t been drinking. I know because my daughter-in-law was very specific in how carefully the driver swerved around her to continue on their way. To that driver I give my everlasting thanks for not running over my pregnant daughter-in-law and making a bad situation worse. Besides the burning road flare could have scorched the paint on your minivan and you obviously have more than enough trouble already.
I would like to extend my sincerest sympathy to the driver of the next car who obviously has deep emotional problems. How else could you explain driving by a distressed pregnant woman waving a burning road flare at 1AM without so much as slowing down? I will continually pray that God will help you in your troubled state.
It goes without saying that I apologize for the fear that must have struck at the heart of the third driver as they hurried past, because it’s not every day you see a pregnant woman frantically waving a red road flare at you in the wee hours of the morning. How terrified you must have been. I am so sorry and I hope that the image of her didn’t disturb your dreams in the slightest when you finally managed to get home.
I am eternally grateful to the man in the fourth car that stopped because he didn’t feel the compulsion to run my daughter-in-law over standing in the road. Thank you so much for the phone call you placed with the police for assistance. I just wanted to let you know that the police did finally arrive about twenty minutes after you drove off and left her standing there.
Please accept my sincere thanks for everyone’s help. My son and daughter-in-law who were recently discharged from the United States Army volunteered to make sure you can sleep safe in your homes at night. I’m so glad the people of
Proud to be not from
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Rowell | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Yes indeed. Good samaritans do exist
Brennan Kingsland | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Thank you for sharing the story of these Good Samaritans, NOT!
I personally recommend that if you have to have an accident, do it near San Antonio, Texas.
In 1987, on a cross-country move, I flipped off the freeway, turning over three times and coming to rest, right-side-up with a completely flattened SUV. Teddy Bear, my Samoyed was in the vehicle with me.
Teddy and I both escaped without visible injuries. Turns out that I had a severe concussion, but that wasn’t discovered until later.
Within a matter of seconds, people were running to assist me. Total strangers sat with me and fed me hot chocolate and tuna sandwiches. They made certain that my dog had water and food, even though it was icy cold weather. Yes, it gets cold in Texas, too!
People stayed with me and helped both me and my husband (who had been travelling behind me and saw me sail off the road). We had to wait 5 hours for our nearest relative to come and get us, after my vehicle was totalled. Someone helped my husband get the truck towed away. Folks offered cell phones or to make calls for us. Others stayed with us until we were safely bundled-up and reloaded in my son-in-law’s truck & trailer.
When someone says “Southern Hospitality” I always think of those dear folks just west of San Antonio.
admin | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Very emotional indeed. Great people Bren.
Rick H. Blase | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
I know there are good people everywhere, but there didn’t seem to be any in Michigan that night. Brennan, I’m glad you had a good experience at what could have been a really horrible event. Thanks for the comment.
Kit | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
I’m sorry your family had such a horrible experience.
The world has changed, and not for the better.
I would NOT stop , not at 1am, nor t 1pm for anyone - 8 mos pregnant woman, big burly dude- waving a flare.
I would, and have, called 911.
I have *worked* for 911.
There are too many sickos out there to risk my children for what may be a set-up.
My heart goes out to your family, but the official advice I have, use, and give now- Call the police, call 911 and tell them what you saw, tell them where the person was, and as much detail as you can- but Do Not Stop.
I am so sorry.
Blair | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Sorry to hear about your trials of inhumanity!
If you lived in Los Angeles (LA) they probably would have aimed for her, sped up, struck her and backed up to do it again!
I have lived in LA for 20 years. It is the MOST unfriendly place I have ever been.
I entered the street, by foot, the other day to retrieve my 4 yr old son’s ball. The street was clear of cars except one, way at the end of the street. This lovely person floored the gas enough to make the tires chirp and this b@stard actually raced towards me! Obviously he wanted to scare me, I was unresponsive. I have neighbors that I have greeted in a friendly manner (”hello”, “Good morning” etc) for years that have NEVER greeted be back. I have had neighbors I have been next door to that will not answer the door or speak to anyone. IRAQ is friendlier than this (This I KNOW of). Don’t ever think of moving to LA if you are looking for friendly people. Move to Australia! They are Extremely friendly, down to earth and almost always helpful. I am a US citizen that has traveled globally and I can see why the US is ROUTINELY voted the least friendly country to visit. How ’bout them apples. It is not just Michigan that is fouled up. The nice people in Texas are the Norm in MANY countries. It is not uncommon for a European to open their home to a traveler for no charge.
Kit has shown us the supreme example of our paranoia towards helping others. Yes there are crazies out there but not as many as you might think. Thank the effusive media for that…
Pay it forward!
Peace and freindship!
Blair
Sorry Kit, I would have stopped (and I have) Sometimes the police/fire take WAY too long to arrive. I would have at least stopped to make sure it was not a life/death issue or if they needed other assistance.
Jamie | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
I’m from MI. My family still lives there. It is a state full of good, honest blue collar people. But…
I wouldn’t have stopped either. I’m not cold or dispassionate. I would have called 9-11, of course, and you can’t be sure which motorist did or didn’t or if all of them. Your son and daughter-in-law, I’m sure, are nice people who would have no ulterior motives, but it’s a truth that now that one can never be too sure of a person’s true motives. It’s unfortunate but this situation has nothing to do with the state of Michigan and more to do with society in general.
And while I’m at it, I highly recommend a cell phone. While i generally eschew the idea of them, in situations such as you’ve described, they can be helpful.
Jane | Oct 30, 2007 | Reply
Kit,
How many “sickos” are there out there? How many people have accidents or car trouble? Do the math.
By helping each other, we create the safer world we want.
Kit | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Jane, Blair -
I travel with a cell phone and I take responsibility for my children. I see no reason to play the odds with their safety - this isn’t Vegas, it’s life !
I call 911 as quickly as possible in situations like this, and so should you- the police and EMSA are trained emergency responders.
They are the people needed in a crisis such as this, and my stopping doesn’t get them to the scene any faster than my calling them immediately would do.
Rick B. | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Thank you all for your comments. I guess I’m old school because after 37 years in the Boy Scouts, I am certainly one to “do a good turn daily”. I understand the paranoia and to be totally honest if I see a young man on the side of the road with car trouble I generally won’t stop either. You sort of have to make that judgment call in maybe the 10 or 15 seconds that it takes to drive by. BUT, I will stop for any woman or elderly person I see. The problem as I see it is that if we were all paranoid or afraid or want to protect our families, no one would help. I believe the good book says just the opposite. So I’ll stop every time and if it is some crazy, wacked out person, then that’s what I’ll have to deal with. None of us know the “Big Plan” but if I went out trying to help someone, there are worse ways to go in my opinion. Of course the other side of the equation in being an Eagle Scout is to “Be Prepared”. I have my cell phone in my hand and if it’s dark a police flashlight in the other. Sure that won’t stop a bullet, but I go back to my earlier tenant. If we don’t help each other, who will?
Jim | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
It pains me to see that people were callous and unwilling to stop. No one has anywhere that important they need to be at 1:00 am, and they should have stopped.
But as someone who lives in Michigan and is proud of Michigan, I think it might be more appropriate to address your open letter to Americans, or sleepy people, or motorists in general. It isn’t the “Michigan” part that makes people indifferent. People are just as likely to be disinterested in any other state.
My experience in Michigan has generally been that people are generous and willing to help. Whenever I have witnessed an accident or seen someone in trouble, there were already half-dozen people on their phones calling 911 or asking how they can help before I could get out of my car. I’m not naive enough to believe that we’re all good people, but I do believe unfair to think the awful experience of your family is representative of all of Michigan.
Rick B. | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Of course you’re right Jim. At the time I wrote that article I was angry and the people of Michigan became the target. Apathy knows no state boundries and I’m sure there are good people who live there. Probably why the housing market is so bad, they are all trying to sell their homes to move. Sorry, Cheap shot….but than again on my last trip up there, President Ford was lying in state at the captial building and there were less flags flying at half mast than Illinois or Indiana and Michigan is his home state!!! One of them was even at an American Legion Post on Main street! That sounds alot like rampant apathy to me.
Zona Taylor | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
It is “nice” to know these things are not unique to Alabama. A few months ago I read something in our local newspaper that I found quite unnerving.
On a Friday evening about 7 PM, two women, one in her late 50’s with health problems, and her elderly mother in her late 70’s experienced car trouble on the side of Interstate 10 about 3 - 4 miles east of the Mississippi-Alabama state line. The sun was still in the sky and nightfall was at least two hours away…they were not worried….someone would stop to help…or at least, would call 911 for them. They had no cell phone.
It was miserably hot — so they intermittently turned on the car to cool off a bit. In between the elderly mother stood by the side of the road and tried to flag down help.
Interstate-10 on Friday evening is almost bumper to bumper in both directions. You would think that they would have been discovered by emergency rescuers by sundown, right?
The first state trooper that came by stopped to help….at 7 AM! Can you believe that these women had to spend the entire night on a busy highway….with not ONE person calling 911 to alert them of stranded travelors????
I was appalled! Fortunately, the women had one bottle of water to ration between them and did not perish in the terrible heat. It could have been deadly!
Just one phone call to 911 would have made a huge difference in this situation.
Had I seen them, I probably would have not stopped (I am female and small in stature.) However, I certainly would have called 911 with a location and a description of the situation as I saw it.
Zona in Mobile, AL
Bob Smith | Oct 31, 2007 | Reply
Rick B. says: “on my last trip up there, President Ford was lying in state at the captial building and there were less flags flying at half mast than Illinois or Indiana and Michigan is his home state!!!”
—–
That’s probably because Michigan knows Ford better than Illinois or Indiana.
Before anyone cries too many tears for Gerald Ford, remember this: he pardoned Nixon, he hired Dick Cheney to be his his Chief of Staff, and he hired Donald Rumsfeld to run his his Office of Economic Opportunity. Yeah, that’s right… this turkey gave us Cheney and Rumsfeld, and the country will be paying for it for generations.
Half mast… give me an effing break! Good for Michigan for getting it right.
Rick Blase | Nov 1, 2007 | Reply
Well every President has his faults. That’s why they’re voted out. History is a mean judge of character. But at the time, he was the man put in charge, so in my book he deserves some respect maybe not for him in Bob’s opinion, but for the office. Apathy deserves no break whether it’s two old ladies sitting on the side of the road all night or someone who’s just to lazy to go vote. There is no excuse for that no matter where your politics or morals lie. Thanks for your comments Bob and Zona.
tAxX | Nov 7, 2007 | Reply
You have right, grat post