So first things first, i’m fine, the accident yesterday didn’t involve me or my car and the person involved in the accident is okay-ish.
So to give a little background... Friday afternoon after being in my new work place (yes, i’ve changed jobs - started 25th March 2019.. unreal right?!). I was invited to someone’s leaving drinks and although I was slightly hesitant, i just thought to myself, fuck it. Sometimes in these situations it’s turning up and showing that you are willing to make an effort and be part of the team that counts. Although it wasn’t what i usually expect at work drinks (and by drinks i mean singular pint of beer) it was pretty nice and I got to connect a little more with people who I work with. So boom +5 points.
I managed to leave around 7:45 and started making my way towards my friends place, which was meant to be a short 37 mins journey straight down the M4. I was in the fast lane and about 10-15 mins into the drive when the car in front of me broke really really hard. If you’re a driver, you know that in the fast lane people are doing 70+ mph on the motorway, so to stop that quickly with cars behind can be massively dangerous. I saw a whole lot of smoke in front of me and I stopped the car as quickly as possible. The car in front who had stopped just moved into the middle lane and then the slow lane and carried on, then I saw it. There was a small white Citroen car that had its left back wheel completely ripped off and mangled and the car was facing the hard shoulder (on the left) blocking both the fast and middle lane. I stopped my car behind a van that was in the fast lane, put my hazards on and ran out to help.
At this point I wasn’t thinking straight, all I cared about was getting to the person(s) in the car and trying to help in any way possible. It was a young guy (i learnt that he was 22 and his name was Naek) who had crashed his car. He was trying to avoid a car in the middle lane that had swerved and ended up hitting the barrier on the right and the car went spinning. There were 2 other men who were at the scene with me, one very tall big guy called Andras (from Hungary) and another man who had seen it happen. We were talking to the guy and trying to understand if he was okay, where he had hurt himself and trying to keep him calm. I called 999. That’s the first time i’ve ever called 999 on purpose. “Fire, Police or Ambulance” - All of the above please. After trying to figure out where we were on the motorway (markings and numbers on bridges and posts) and getting details about the guy, injuries and car model, they cut the phone on me after saying that they’d send everyone out ASAP. Naek told us that he was on his way to the gym, that he had moved just so he could be closer. It wasn’t the time to be thinking about the gym... we moved past that subject very quickly. He still had his apple earpods in, i asked him to take them out and put them on one side, he was in so much pain that he couldn’t put them in his pocket, so i moved them onto the passenger seat. He had given me his ID so i popped it back into his wallet on the passenger seat too.
I’ve never felt time pass so slowly, standing in the middle of the M4 motorway watching the traffic pile up as some angry people tried to continue with their journey on the fast lane. It felt like a lifetime before anyone came. During this time a Junior doctor parked up behind the crash in the fast lane and came over to help. She did some medical checks and kept the guy talking to make sure he was okay. I had a brainwave... water... he needed to have water to keep him hydrated otherwise he could easily go into shock. I ran back to the car and pulled out a bottle of water that i always keep stocked and ran back to him and asked him to drink. He had hurt his back very badly from the whiplash, he couldn’t move his left leg and he had hit his head three times whilst spinning. Andras who was a mechanic noticed that the way he had stopped the car with the handbrake was the reason why he had spun and the whole car was written off.
We continued to keep him sat and talking, trying our best to make sure that he didn’t move. Then the police turned up, i’m not joking this felt like a lifetime, in real time it must have been around 25 mins. The officers came and asked questions and took some statements. They were helpful with the traffic and cornered off the accident with cones and their cars (also blocked my car which was still stranded with hazards on in the fast lane). One officer asked me to open his driver door more, but because of the damage to the car it wouldn’t open any further. At this point Andras looked at the policeman and said, are you sure, the police officer answered yes. Within a second this 6′7ft man pushed his entire body weight against the car and ripped the door off. How can a surreal moment become more surreal... just like that.
Another lady stopped her car and came to ask how he was, she was a Sikh lady who was also a GP and her and the Jr Dr conversed about how he was and things they’d checked. At that point I realised that it was Ramadan, i’m not sure what helped me clock it, but i asked him if he was fasting. He was. The situation just got a lot more serious, after an accident like that and him being weak as is, but also with no food or water, we couldn’t let him pass out.
I refilled the water bottle with my second lot of water from my bag and came running back with some paracetamol to help. He took 2 tablets (500mg) and i urged him to drink more water. I asked him if he had anyone who he needed to tell about the accident, like family or friends. He pulled out his phone and said the only way his friends would know is if I took a video for him. I refused at first because facebook live doesn’t seem like the best way to let someone know you’re hurt. But he insisted so much that i couldn’t refuse him, i had seen his immigration card and knew that his circumstances were different and that perhaps he was asking for a reason. I complied and went around his car, in hindsight, it was probably helpful for his insurance, as well as his friend to know that he was alive.
The police officer had asked me a few times whilst we were stood on the motorway as to whether i was with the guy. I explained that i wasn’t and that i was only there to help. Thinking a bit more about it, i understand why i was asked that question so many times. He was brown. As am I. It’s funny even in times like this, those kind of questions get asked...
After an hour or so of being out on the motorway and it being just me and the Jr Dr and two police officers waiting for the ambulance, the police asked me to move my car for the fire brigade and ambulance. Essentially they needed me to leave but to keep the Jr Dr (which makes sense as she was holding his head back). I didn’t want to leave without reassuring Naek that everything was going to be okay. I took his hand and told him just that, I told him that Allah was watching him and by god’s grace he is still alive. The worst was done with and he was going to get the help he needed. He held my hand back, looked me in the eye and said thank you. I wish i could have stayed until the ambulance came, but the police officers knew what they were doing, so i followed their lead. I also went around to the other side and spoke to the Jr Dr, I thanked her for all her help and for stopping. Naek asked me before i left to give him my number, I agreed because i wanted to ask him later if he was okay.
During my goodbyes the police woman started shouting that i needed to go ASAP as she was going to hold the traffic in the slow lane for me. So I hopped back into my car and in all the stress and confusion, for a split second I forgot how to drive, but it was literally for a second. I released the clutch and got out of there as i heard the sirens of the fire engines coming closer.
I learnt something about people yesterday, people will watch, people will film and people don’t give a shit. The amount of cars that went by straight after the accident was unreal, people who just didn’t care. Their phones were hanging out of the window trying to film the accident, it was disgusting. But on the flip-side, i learnt that there are good people. The unsung heroes who stopped or wanted to stop, the people who were stood with me in the middle of the M4 trying to help a complete stranger. It gave me a little hope, that if something bad were to happen to me, for every 100 people who drove by, there might be at least 1 who would be willing to help. Humanity and kindness really is a gift and I really do believe in what goes around comes around. To the people who were screaming at us for blocking the motorway, I hope that you will look back at your behaviour and try and improve yourselves, because accidents happen and if you can’t be helpful don’t be a dick.
I texted Naek to check how he was, he is struggling to walk and his left leg is in a bad way. His back is in pain but with some physio i’m sure he’ll recover, he left the hospital at 5:38am (he was very specific). He went to the police station to get his house keys that were still in his car and he’s at home and his resting. He thanked me for everything and called me a hero. I’ve never been called a hero before, I was a little taken aback. I said to him that i was happy to help and happy that he was alive. I wished him a very speedy recovery.
Guys, life is short. Accidents happen and for me it was a massive wake up call, it was one of those moments that makes you reassess things. I needed to write this all down, apologies for the length, but i wanted to capture everything. The take away from all this, at least for me is to be a good person. Do what you can to help without putting yourself in danger, sometimes the most random people can be lifesavers and colour, age, race, sex, time, money etc. aren’t important when it comes down to being human. We are all just doing what we have to do to survive, if one of us is in trouble then together using what we have and the skills we have, we can help more than we ever thought possible.
Stay safe, do the best you can. Life is short, live it to the fullest.
