It’s always tragic when people’s lives are cut short for whatever reason, more so when it’s sudden and accidental.
This week has been particularly tough on a lot of people in our community, following the deaths of two men on area highways and a serious injury to a third man.
First and foremost, our hearts go out to the families of the two men who lost their lives on area high, and to the family of a third man who is still in hospital.
Secondly, to the drivers of the other vehicles involved in these collisions. Regardless of the circumstances leading up to those incidents, they’ll live with that experience for the rest of their lives.
Third, this week has undoubtedly taken a toll on the area’s emergency services workers, some of whom volunteer their own time away from work and family to respond to these calls.
Whether they’re paid or not, though, it is a tough job to do.
In the face of this kind of tragedy, we’re reminded why we’re hit with a seemingly constant barrage of safety messages about slowing down, buckling up, being aware of our surroundings, the conditions, and other drivers.
That message can have a tendency to go in one ear and out the other, and we’re all at fault. When we let our safety standards slip a little bit, maybe by going over the speed limit or not paying enough attention to the conditions, we’re taking a chance.
Maybe we got lucky, but we’re still complicit in creating an overall attitude that says safety isn’t our No. 1 priority.
But it should be.
It’s easy for any one of us to let the standard of safety slip a little bit, and all it takes is one split second for the unimaginable to happen.
At the same time, nobody would have expected the freak winds that contributed to Wednesday’s collision, in which vehicles lost control and were blown off the road.
There is no easy answer in a situation like this. Two men are dead, and dozens of lives have been irrevocably changed. We want to grasp for answers, and maybe think of who to blame.
Before we do, though, we should take a long, hard look at our own attitudes. Take care of yourselves out there.
