Tragedy

This has not been a good weekend.
On Friday I was at a Bunco party with friends. We have just started this group and this is only our second get together. We were taking a little nosh break, when my friend Susi got a call on her cell.

It was the call all parents dread. I could see it pass over her face as she listened. Her son had been in a car accident and hit a tree. He was pinned in the car. The call was from friends who had been following him and his passenger. He is a relatively new driver and the law is that you cannot have more than one non family passenger for I think 6 months.

Friend Emily drove Susi and another friend to the scene. We all waited for word. About a half hour later we heard that the ambulance had taken Jake (Her son) and the other boy to the hospital. That was all we heard until the next day. I heard directly, but this e-mail we received at school today sums it up more clearly.

"On Friday night Jake went to eat in Janesville with some friends. On their way home Jake's car hit a patch of ice on Newville Road, he over corrected the skid going off the road and hitting a tree. Speed was involved. Luckily, both boys were wearing their seatbelts which saved their lives.

Ambulances brought both boys to Mercy ER. The passenger was treated and released on Friday night. Jake went into surgery late Friday night to repair his two broken legs. The surgery was a great success. He now has metal rods in both legs. Initially, there was speculation that he had also broken both arms, several x-rays later, both arms are fine. He has some bruised organs that doctors are keeping an eye on and a fracture on his pelvis which is of little to no worry. They are concerned about infection from the compound fracture wound in his thigh and doctors will be watching this closely.

Jake will be in Mercy Hospital until at least this weekend. He will then be confined to a wheel chair at home for at least the next 6 weeks. He has a long road in front of him, but he has a very positive outlook at the moment."

I dropped a bread over to Susi's yesterday (cause food is what we do in any emergency) and she was at home for a minute changing clothes and catching a shower. We had a good talk and Jake is so lucky to be alive. The car caught on fire and a neighbor came out with a fire extinguisher and put it out. Were it not for several good coincidences he easily could have died.

Today when I came to school I heard that one of our actors had had a house fire yesterday and was now living in a hotel (their computer caught fire)

At 9:00 an announcement was made that a terrible tragedy had occurred and a high school girl (11th grade) had been killed this morning in a car accident. She was a beautiful, popular, kind, and talented athlete and musician. She has a sister in 8th grade and one in 9the and they both were in the car as well. It was a roll over and the driver (the young lady) was killed. There is a rumor that she was not wearing a seat belt.

I am completely numb. Tearful children are aimlessly wandering the halls. Most have been in to see the counselors, but they need to hug and reassure each other. I found a small conference room for a few girls to just sit in.

We are debating whether or not to hold rehearsal this afternoon. I am thinking I just want to go home and hold my daughter.