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Column: Kindness of strangers makes car crash less traumatic

The Rearview Mirror by Cameron Thomson
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After Observer reporter Cameron Thomson flipped his vehicle on Skimikin Road on Wednesday, Aug. 14, it was taken to the yard at Ben’s Towing in Salmon Arm. (Cameron Thomson/Salmon Arm Observer)

While driving along Skimikin Road on my way to write a story about a llama sanctuary in Chase, I rounded a corner, hit a patch of loose gravel and lost control of my vehicle.

I felt the back end slide and, as I attempted to correct, I found myself looking directly at an embankment which I collided with head on. I saw a flash of white from the airbags and the next thing I knew I was suspended upside down from my seat belt.

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The smell of heat and smoke filled the cab. I managed to scramble out through the passenger side door and stand up. The 1997 light blue Buick Century was from my late uncle. It was my first car.

Just a few seconds later a motorcyclist came around the corner and pulled over. He gave me water along with words of encouragement and calmness. He gave me a GPS location that I gave to a BCAA dispatcher who sent a tow truck from Ben’s Towing.

As the adrenaline started to fade, some minor injuries made themselves known. My lips were swollen from the airbag punching me in the face. I also received two nearly identical cuts at the tips of my eyebrows. Minutes later, my right wrist started to hurt slightly. I would later learn I had received a minor chip fracture.

In all the excitement of the day, it was the beauty of the kindness of strangers that stood out to me. From the motorcyclist who found me and stayed until the tow truck arrived, to the tow truck operator who was kind and honest about the situation. Lastly but certainly not least, the nurses and doctors at Shuswap Lake General Hospital who took great and professional care of me. Even people driving down the road next to my flipped vehicle who stopped to check if I was okay or if there was anything they could do.

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I would like to offer my sincerest thanks to all who made a bad day so much better.

On a completely unrelated note – anyone selling a car?


@CameronJHT
Cameron.thomson@saobserver.net

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Observer reporter Cameron Thomson sustained only minor injuries from his accident. (Cameron Thomson/Salmon Arm Observer)
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Observer reporter Cameron Thomson flipped his vehicle on Skimikin Road on Wednesday, August 14. (Cameron Thomson/Salmon Arm Observer)