It is a sad day. I was speaking with a friend on the phone this morning catching up on what was new who's doing what etc. When she starts to tell me that a colleague we both had worked with passed away tragically yesterday morning as a result of a motorcycle accident on a notoriously dangerous bridge. I was shocked. The strange thing for me was that I was speaking with my husband about the accident yesterday, as I had heard it on the news while I was driving home from work. The newscaster was saying that the bridge would be closed for all of the morning rush hour, and that people should think about taking alternate routes. I was telling my husband that I bet someone got killed. It is a very narrow bridge built in 1937 and never meant to carry the volume of vehicles it does nor the type of vehicles that cross it daily. Back in 1937 there still would have been the odd horse and buggy crossing that bridge, but now it has huge semi trucks logging trucks all kinds of vehicles. It's suppose to be a 4 lane bridge, but really only wide enough for 3 lanes. That bridge if built today would not have met code. There has been talk for years to have it widened and dividers put down the centre, but nothing has happend.
But back to my now deceased colleague. It appears he was heading home on his motorcycle and travelling to fast and lost control of his bike and went head on into the guardrail and died instantly. He was only wearing one of those "beanie" helmets. Those helmets have been banned everywhere in Canada except BC. Personally I don't think any helmet would have saved him in this case.
How tragic, he was so young, in his early 30's. His poor family. I saw the picture in the paper today and of course the paper makes it clear it was his fault. They don't put a face to the name, they don't care that he has a family. The fact that they are moarninig his loss today. Just that it was such an inconvience to the morning commuters.
I have choosen to use Purple as my colour for this post as in some cultures it represents mourning. So out of respect, purple it is.
Rest in peace my friend. And now you can soar with the eagles. God bless.
6 comments:
Sorry for your loss.
What a tragedy to lose someone that young. When I worked at our local hospital, one of our EMTs (ambulance) got killed on a notoriously dangerous road in our county while riding his motorcycle. He was mourned by the entire community because of the way he died and because he was so young. His parents remember the anniversary of his death every year by placing an ad in the paper saying how much they miss him. I'm sure you and your friends will miss this colleague who so tragically lost his life. I'm sorry that the newspaper reporter wasn't more empathetic and reported more of a human interest story about the person rather than the event.
Mary Anne, on a happier note, thanks for the lovely comments on my post today about my mother. I'm sure your parents were so hard working also. It must be the times they were born and raised in -- when you don't have a lot, you make do. Some people made better "do" than others.
Hope you have a better day.
I'm so sorry about your friend. It sends a chill down my spine as my son is 33 and rides a motorcycle once in awhile.
Its a shame the newspaper did that, only talking about the inconvienence it caused people.
I will be thinking about you and Praying for yoru friends family.
i am so sorry to hear about this loss. it is a shame his life/death were viewed as a morning traffic report and not a respect for a man's life which ended too suddenly.
dear Mary,
i am so sorry to hear that that was someone close to you. i was just coming over to your blog because Qualicum caught my interest over at Dr. A's blog...i was shocked to read your post because i use that bridge whenever i head into Vancouver as the Port Mann is always congested; i was just telling my friend last week that people hate that bridge and avoid it and that is why i use it, but you are right, the heavy trucks do seem to dominate. But how sad that it has claimed yet another young life, and how true about the insensitivity of the news reporters.
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