I've always wondered. Now I know.

[BrokenPaw]

We've all read stories about "good samaritans" who have rescued a driver from a burning car moments before it explodes, or something like that.  Since I was a kid, I always wondered what was going through the minds of people who were responding to an emergency.  Now I know what goes through your head:  nothing at all.  

On December 21, at about 11:30 in the morning, BrokenMa and I were headed south on Route 95 in Virginia, just below the DC Beltway.  We were going to visit my folks in North Carolina.  Just as we passed the exit for Route 1, we saw a fireball explode across the highway in front of us, and then an immediate shower of all sorts of broken bits of some vehicle or other.  It was maybe 200 feet in front of us.  I stopped on the left shoulder, and turned to see what had happened.  There were three 18-wheelers (the first two were box-trailers or reefers, and the last was an open-top trash-hauler) all stuck together in the center lane.

The first one had apparently stopped short for some reason, and the second had either hit it very lightly, or had been driven into it when struck by the third; either way, the first truck's cab was undamaged, and the second only had superficial front-end damage.  But the third...holy gods, I'd never seen such a mess.  The second truck must have been running empty, because when the third truck hit it, the back end came right up, and annihilated the third truck's cab.  When they all came to a stop, the third truck's front axle was centered beneath the second truck's two rear axles, and there was a gap of only 15 inches or so between the second truck's trailer and the third truck's trailer.  The third truck's cab had been completely flattened, and its engine had been pushed up over the driver's compartment.

I remember thinking, "there's no way anyone in that third truck made it."  That's the last thought I had, for the next many minutes, because I saw movement in there.  There were other people who had stopped, but no one else seemed to have noticed that the #3 driver was moving.  There was still some small fire on the front end of the tractor, but I didn't notice it (BrokenMa mentioned it to me after the fact).  I ran up to the driver-side door while BrokenMa called 911, and I could see that the driver was alive, but the cab was so crushed I was afraid he was either completely crushed himself, or otherwise missing significant parts of himself.  He was delerious (of course), and wondered what happened.  I told him there'd been a little accident[0], but that he'd be OK, and that help was coming.

He was calm enough for a while, but then he began to get frantic, saying he had to get out.  The door was crushed shut and wasn't budging (I'd checked), and the windshield was only 10 inches from the back of the cab.  Somehow he'd managed to avoid being pinned by the steering wheel, too; it was only about 5 inches from the back of the driver's seat, but he was off to the right a bit, leaning over the top of it.  I tried to keep him from moving much, in case he'd had a spinal injury, but he decided that he had to get out right now, because he felt like he was burning.  The coolant from the engine (which was above him, remember) was pouring down into the cab and onto him.  There was no real way for me to help him get out, at first, because there was no room at all.  I expected that it'd take the Jaws of Life to get that cab open.

He managed to push with his feet and pull himself with his arms, and inch by inch he wiggled himself out of that cab.  It turned out that he was just an extremely skinny guy.  By then, there were three other guys there by the cab with me, and we supported him as he got out, and carried him to the side of the road and put him down.

Through the whole thing, I don't remember thinking, or wondering what to do, or anything at all.  I remember everything with perfect clarity, but I remember nothing at all of my own mind-state.

That was the first time I'd been in a situation where everything in my mind seemed to revert to instinct; there was no thought involved.  I saw what needed to be done, and I did it.

The driver was taken via MedEvac to Fairfax Hospital, and a few days later I called to see if he was still there, but they didn't have anyone by his name at that time.  I don't know if that means that he'd been released, or if he'd died there, or even if he never made it there at all.  It'd be nice to know.

I was extremely impressed by the volunteer fire/rescue folks who responded.  Because my car was pretty much blocked in by the ambulances and fire trucks and the helicopter, I got to watch all of them do their thing.

A half hour later, back on the road, I got the shakes, and I almost had to pull over for a while.  I don't know how fire/rescue and police do it...responding to situations like that all the time.  I suppose they must get used to it.  

Anyway, the point of this rambling story is the fact that when I was in the situation, I felt my emotions and hesitations and worries just unhook from my mind, and just leave the part of me that knew what needed to be done.  It was a heck of a sensation.

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon in times of stress?

-BP

• It was surreal hearing myself describe the situation like that

[SADShooter]

Wow. I'm glad you were there, and had the "absence" of mind to act. I fear that I'd freeze up with fear or indecision if faced with that type of situation.

[Standing Wolf]

Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon in times of stress?

Yep. I didn't think. I just did.

[RadioFreeSeaLab]

Yep, I know what you mean by not thinking.
Saw a head-on collision on the highway a few years ago.  Drunk crossed over the line and ran into oncoming traffic.  Before I knew it, I had my head in a smashed car, trying to calm down a lady with a bone sticking out her arm and another with a deep gash in her forehead.

[grampster]

Brokenpaw,
    What you did separates you from a good deal of the population.  You have a servant's heart.  A lot of folks just stand around and gawk in situations like like that.
You just got tested and you passed.  Now you no longer will have to wonder what you will do when the shtf.  You found out.  You said it best..."I saw what needed to be done, and did it."  No one can ever ask any more of himself than that.  I salute you.

     Good on ya, friend.

[Daniel964]

Brokenpaw wrote.  I don't know how fire/rescue and police do it...responding to situations like that all the time.  I suppose they must get used to it.  

I worked as a Paramedic for over 10 years and it does take time to get used to it.

I worked with a medic team as an active observer for about a year. They would put me in charge of scenes they thought I should be able to handel. They were their for support if needed. As time progressed I became better and better at what I did.

It's kind of strange you go from brand new scared to being mentored and come out the otherside a medic with the training and confidence to save lives.


Sorry I can't put things clearer. It's had to put into words.

[Larry Ashcraft]

Good show.

BTDT, a couple times.

Nice to know there are still some of us around.

I am very queasy around blood (especially my own), but I have found out that I can shut that off when it needs to be, take care of business, and do my queasy bit later.  Happened a year ago when my much loved nephew lost a finger tip to a log splitter (that I was controlling).

One other time involved a drunk in a pickup truck and a huge cottonwood tree in front of my home.

[Larry Ashcraft]

double tap

[chaim]

I work in a psychiatric hospital.  It really is amazing, when thinking about something before or after you might think "I could never do xyz" but when it happens you do it without any hesitation.  When the need really arises most of us have it in us to take control, do what needs to be done, and think about it later.

I've had this happen many times.  15 years ago when working retail when one of my coworkers had a gun drawn on him, a few years ago when witnessing a major auto accident, and several times at work (from taking control of violent patients, to stopping suicide attempts).  I know I can do it, and yes it does seem that part of your brain (the part that might "talk" you out of it) shuts off.  I've also seen many others do the same, while some others run and hide, so I do think that we share this with about half the population (but some are just sheep).

[BrokenPaw]

Thank you all for your comments and replies.  At the time, I didn't feel like I was doing anything particularly worth praise, because it wasn't like I was putting myself into any actual danger like firefighters and police do on a regular basis.  

As I was reading your comments, I made a connection, though.  As a minister, some of my congregation occasionally seek me out for counseling or just to kick ideas around.  I've noticed that in some cases (and sometimes not even when the person has specifically sought counseling), I stop thinking, and start saying stuff, and I've no idea what I'm going to say before I say it, but when the voice takes over, whatever it is that comes out is invariably what that person needs to hear.  Not always what they want to hear, but always something that will help them if they heed it.  (Note I take no credit for this; the people who've heard me do it refer to it as "the god voice", not as any particular wisdom of my own.)

What I realized as I was reading your comments was that the way I was acting was the physical-action equivalent of "the god voice".  It was action, pure and simple, and it was what needed to be done, even if it wasn't what the people there wanted done.

Part of the story that I left out to keep a long first post from becoming a novella was that, as the driver was anout 1/3 of the way out of his truck, he became tired and sort of wedged for a while.  A bunch of guys with a wrecker truck and a tow chain showed up out of nowhere and hooked the chain to the bottom of the door, and were about to use their truck to yank the door off.  None of them had noticed that the doorframe was hooked behind the driver's left shoulder, and if they pulled it off, it would have torn him up pretty badly.  So I found myself standing between these guys' truck and the driver door, making myself understood (somehow) to four guys who apparently didn't know English, to keep them from doing something stupid and probably very harmful.  I don't remember noticing the doorframe and how it was hooked around the driver; all I remember is taking action to prevent the guys from pulling on that chain.  It was after the fact that I realized why I'd done it.

Everything happens for a reason, and I believe the reason I was involved in this particular situation was to teach me in a practical, physical way that when something needs doing, I'll know what that something is, and if I let myself, I'll do it.

Grampster, thank you for your words especially.  Once things calmed down a bit, I noticed that there were quite a lot of people standing around, that had been for some time.  One woman (BrokenMa told me later) was even trying to get in to take pictures of what was going on.  Not that I suppose there's anything intrinsically wrong with that, but a little less morbid opportunism and a little more help would have been nice...  

Namaste,
-BP

[Big_R]

I'm a first responder and a licensed haz-mat technician (have been for a long time).  I've seen my share of bad accidents, and have come to this conclusion; when things go bad, people do not rise to the occasion, they are reduced to their simplest form.  Situations like this do not build character, they reveal it.  That's why you will see people who are standing around, and people who are actively assisting.  Good show.

P.S.  It's common for even experienced first responders to have the same "coming down" feelings you described.  In many cases, it results in people vomiting.  I've been there, especially when children are involved.

Ryan

[BrokenPaw]

Something I wanted to add with regard to the roles we play in emergencies:  

BrokenMa is a minister as well, and we together have defaulted into particular roles with our congregation; I as "guardian" and she as "counselor".  And both of us as "teacher".  Our primary roles came to the fore at the accident I described; once we'd got the driver to the side of the road, BrokenMa took over, and was holding his hand and talking to him and keeping him focused and giving him someone beautiful to look at and pay attention to.  I found myself standing over him to keep the gawkers away until the EMTs could get to him.

She and I work well as a team.  I picked me a good lady.

Namaste,
-BP

[Felonious Monk/Fignozzle]

She and I work well as a team.  I picked me a good lady.

Namaste,
-BP

In my opinion, a man is born with a wide array of paths he can tread on this earth; when he finds a life partner, this can point him toward his highest and best, or cause him to settle for less.

Sounds like you did well.

[Chris]

Many years back, I was at a post-game party in Ann Arbor, Michigan, enjoying something off the grill on the back porch with some people.  There was a loud crashing noise, followed by teh sight of a semi pushing the remains of a car down the street, sideways.  I recall jumping the fence between me and the street.  I recall running through an inventory of items on my person as I ran to the crash.  I recall pulling the passenger door open, and I distinctly remember being surprised by how uninjuried the woman was.  My favorite memories were the people asking me if I was a cop or a firefighter, and being surprised when I said I was a lawyer, and going back to the party to find the group of medical students right where I left them, but expressing shock that I was wiling to risk getting involved.

First, well done.  All too often in this life, there are people who don't act.  Some don't want to get involved.  Some worry aboutbeing sued.  Others simply freeze up when the moment to act is upon them.  I truly believe "fight or flight" needs to be re-named as "freeze, fight, or flight."  And, having been through similar events myself, you can expect two things from your life from this point forward.  One, you will feel more confidence, because you have acted under pressure, and now know that you can perform.  Two, others who know you and know what you did will look upon you differently.  your role as "guardian" will become strengthened by your actions.

Second, you now join an elite group of people that I highly respect.  You are now one of those people who put your own safety and well being aside and took action to help another person, unknown to you, simply because something needed to be done.  It started when I wsa much younger, watching footage of the plne crash into the Potomac in winter.  I'm sure you know the one.  During the helicopter rescue, one woman was either so injured or so exhausted from her struggle to survive that she could not hold on to the rescue loop.  Suddenly, a man...just a man on his way somewhere in his life, not a rescue worker, a cop, a firefighter, a medic, just  a man...jumps out of his car that is stuck in the traffic, strips out of his coat, runs down and dives into the icy water, swims out, grabs the womanand the loop, and basically pulls her to safety.  When interviewed about it, he simply said that he couldn't stand by and watch her die becaue no one would do anything.  That is the club you now belong to.  Fine company to be in.

Third, sounds like the Mrs. is a keeper, but I'm sure you already know that.

[Brad Johnson]

Situations like this do not build character, they reveal it.

Big 10-4 on that, good buddy. It's interesting that, when faced with a crisis, pompous blowhards are often reduced to steaming goo and the quiet, observant types are the ones who leap to action.

Brad

[doczinn]

In various mini-SHTF situations, I've had the experience you did. You just do something, then later realize you did it. Not always the best thing to do at the moment, though, which is why training (in whatever field) is so important.

[grampster]

Cas,

Did you go to law school at U of M?

[Guest]

I can honestly say, been there done that.  Drove two attacking dogs off one guy and his smaller dog, drove four lunatic assailants with hammers off another guy, helped somebody else during a seizure.

Brokenpaw, you may have noticed that your memory of at least some bits of this may be fuzzy.  For example, you stopped the guys from tearing the doorframe off when you realized what it would result in, but you can't now remember noticing the full implications.

This is normal.

Your brain usually keeps all memories in a "short term" memory area that runs between 6 and 10 minutes long, and then transfers anything important to long-term memory while indexing it.  In an emergency, all that memory transfer and indexing slows you down and your brain discards most of it to get a speed boost.  That in turn is why you feel LATER like you weren't fully in control.  My opinion is that no, you WERE fully in control and able to make good (and moral) decisions.  It's your memory that's foggy later.  I suspect that's part of what's happening when you advise people on critical matters.

Another major thing your brain discards in an emergency: emotions, to a large degree.

In it's full flavor, this "mental speedup" can be so extreme you have time to ponder escape routes while a giant wave bears down on you in what appears to be slow motion.  Been there, done THAT at age 12 or so, first time I ever hit one of these "overdrive" states.  (In case you're wondering: the right decision wasn't to flee at all, it was to hang onto a big rock for dear life.)

The "speedup" can hinder your hearing.  Basically, if things have gotten so bad you're deep in that state, negotiations with whoever scared you enough to put you there is over.  You may not hear gunshots at all, the hearing loss is that serious.

Judging by your comments in this thread, you've never achieved a "full tilt" overdrive state before and you possible didn't in this circumstance, not that there's anything wrong with that as it wasn't needed and you can't maintain "full tilt overdrive" for more than a minute or two as it's extremely stressful.  But I'd say you definately have the capability of hitting this and if you do, don't freak out, go with it - because I'm here to tell you, even the most extreme overdrive state won't rob you of your ability to make moral choices.

Berzerker rage is another matter entirely and that WILL turn you into a total animal.  Been there done that once as a kid, ain't proud of it, never again.  I will only fight if motivated to save my life or somebody else's, versus motivated by hate.

[Chris]

Grampster,

Law school was University of Dayton.  Just at Michigan to enjoy a football game and a party.

Chris

[grampster]

cas,
One of my best friends graduated U of M law.  But that was back in the stone age,
1968 or 9.  We used to have a pretty good time visiting him in those days.  One of the funniest was when I got carded by a rookie Ann Arbor leo that was walking through the bar.  I flashed my potsie and asked him how long he'd been in the Job.  Two weeks, he said.  I told him I had 6 years in the Job.
It was great to watch the red face that followed.  heh heh.

[Azrael256]

I don't know how fire/rescue and police do it...responding to situations like that all the time.  I suppose they must get used to it.

Nope.  Dad came home from every officer involved shooting, chase, or wrestling match with a perp shaking and almost in tears.  The paramedics, cops, firemen, ER docs, and the like who make it for any substantial length of time manage to deal with that sort of thing on a daily basis for many years.  I don't know just how they do it, but they've got some cojones to be able to pull it off.