Car vs Pole

Pole always wins.

It was towards the end of a day shift, it was becoming dark and we were looking forward to heading home for the night. Dispatch, as usual, had other plans for us.
"We're going to send you down to a MVC, no details at present - unknown patients unknown status".

The Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) flashed with the job and we ran lights and sirens to it. I threw on my fluorescent safety jacket and gloved up - I hate jobs marked 'unknown status'... Even though the descriptions are usually wrong, they put you in the mindset of what to expect. Unknown means you might get there to find a parade of elephants storming through... or maybe not.

We arrived shortly after, a crowd had gathered around a car wedged between a brick wall and a pole - the opposite side of the pole to the road... Now that takes effort. The car was empty, and it took a moment for people to respond when I asked 'Was anyone hurt? Who was in the vehicle?', a young male sheepishly walks forward.

On examination he seemed fine, and although we made numerous offers to take him to hospital he refused - our examinations only go so far, there may have been internal trauma we cannot possibly detect without scanning equipment, found only in hospitals. Still, he was happy enough to make his own way home via his girlfriend - but what really got to me with this job was his attitude.

"Yeah... this'll be the second time I've done this..." he laughs. "No scratches, I'm fine."

A grin on his face, as if he's almost proud of what he's accomplished.

"Lucky there were no pedestrians nearby - this would have killed them. School finished only a little while ago..." My eyes betray my disdain, I care about his welfare but it's obvious it's not about him as a person. People like this who have no regard for others or the impact of their actions make my blood boil. It will take another accident and a life lost before anything will sink into his head.

The smile is wiped off his face, he mumbles something about going to his girlfriend and we head off. It was our last job, and I went home wandering how the story might have unfolded if any one of a million variables were even slightly different and was glad that they weren't.

I doubt he spent the night the same way.