[TtTackler]

Sorry for my horrible grammar and spelling skills, I'm not that great of a writer and I quickly re-read to look for errors (using WordPad, no grammar check). So that means I had a lot of errors, heh. Anyway, I was sort of moved by a movie we saw in Driver's Theory the other day to type this up in the past hour or so.



I've been patrolling these highways for over nineteen years now, and I don't think I'll get used to it. You think you would, but you never do, and it gets worse after seeing each one. But it's even worse to try and tell the parents. I've seen mothers that have completely went crazy, call me a liar, throw stuff at me. Then there are the fathers who grab onto this shirt right here that I'm wearing right now, too many times have I had my buttons torn off of this shirt. But, there is one vivid accident that I will never forget, like it is engraved in my skull. I still see the image of the girl in my head. She wore blue jeans with square pockets, and in the left pocket were two one dollar bills right there. She wore a red flanel shirt, and had her class ring upon a necklace..

On Christmas morning, after a long-hard day of work I went home to celebrate the holiday with my family. As soon as I sat down in my recliner chair, took off my boots, and was ready to unwrap our presents, I got a phone call..

"Officer Jawbroski, we have a major accident about five miles down south of Route 92." I sighed, knowing that I would have to leave my six year old son to open his gifts without his father for yet another Christmas,"Can't you just get someone else to check it out Barbara?" "Sorry trooper, you know you're the only one around here." I hung up the phone and slipped my boots back on and my son immediately noticed. "I'll try to get back as soon as possible Derrick, I promise." So I headed out down Route 92, going up and down the hills that were oh so familar. After awhile I could see the smoke rising up from the crash. Two cars, one a station wagon and the other a small green truck. In the station wagon was a drunken driver who hit the green truck, slightly hitting it, causing it to flip up into the air and land upside down. As I stepped out of my vechile I could see that glass and carnage was strewn all over the road. I kneeled down to see inside the green truck, there was what seemed like two males in the front seats, both dead. The drunk driver approached me, who seemed to be quite sober by now after the accident had already happened, pointing towards the back seat of the green trunk,"Hey troop, I think there is something you might want to see back there!"

I walked over to the rear window, well, what was the rear window, and knelt down. I shone my flashlight in the car and saw a little fourteen year old girl staring straight ahead. I tapped her shoulder to get her attention and she slowly turned her head at me. "Zach, is that you brother?" I assumed that was her brother in the front seat, dead,"No darling, this is Officer Jawbroski, I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" "Wait, where is my brother Zach?" "Don't worry about him right now, let me get you out." "No, tell me, is he alright?" "Honey, your brother is in a better place right now.." I knew that was the wrong choice of words to say, her eyes filled up with tears and her face distorted in pain. I noticed that there was glass all over her eyes and face. So I pulled out my hankerchief and gently brushed the glass out of her eyes and off her face. And, I still remember, when I wiped her lips, I accidently smeared her lipstick across her face, like a clown's face, and we both smiled. "Okay honey, I'm going to try and get you out of here." I grabbed onto both of her shoulders and tugged a little but she wasn't coming out. I looked down at her legs and noticed that they were pinned between the bottom of the backseat and the back of the front seat. The only way to get her out was with the jaws of life.

"Hey Darling, I'm going to go call for help, okay? I'll get you out of here real soon." As I started to turn away and stand back up I felt her arm grab onto the patch right here on my shoulder. I turned back at her,"What is it darling?" "Please, don't leave me here alone." "Sorry honey but I have to go call for help to get you out of there." I looked at her neck and noticed a necklace around it with a ring at the end, it was her class ring. "Here, hold on to your ring honey, and don't let go until I come back, okay?" "Hey troop..Please, promise that you'll get me out of here, I don't want to die." We stared at each other for a moment or so, it sort of felt like an eternity to me. "Sure darling, I promise." I quickly got up and ran back to my car and sent word for help. I ran back to the flipped green truck with the crunching glass under my feet after every step,"Okay honey, they are on their way..." I knelt down and looked into the car, and at her face. She was staring blank into space just like how I first found her, except, she wasn't breathing nor moving at all... She still had her hand gripped around her class ring.

Eventually the jaws of life came and pryed open the car and I dragged her body out of the car. Her legs were twisted and bloody all over. She wore blue jeans with square pockets, and in the left pocket were two one dollar bills right there. She wore a red flanel shirt, and had her class ring upon a necklace..

I drove to the parents house, only about ten miles away, and walked up to the front door. My heart was beating heavily and I knocked on the door. I could see through the window, a Christmas tree was standing tall with lights shining bright, the father was watching TV and was looking around after hearing the door knocking. He got up and opened the door with a big smile on his face,"Hey trooper! Come on in and have a bite to eat with us!" I looked right past him with his hand out to shake mine in a friendly manner, and saw the mother, slowly rising out of her seat, her hands were clearly trembling.. "What's wrong with my babies," she yelled. "Mam, they were in a car accident earlier this morn-." "-Are they alright, are they coming back?" "Mam..Your children won't be coming back.." The mother went hysterical, and the father grabbed onto my shirt, but instead of ripping off the buttons like so many before, he just knelt down and wept. I just stood there, blankly, staring into space. I had broken two promises that Christmas morning, and all I could image was that class ring..

Moral of the Story: Please people, think, don't drink and drive..