Flight of the pheasant
June 29, 2009
Myself, my wife and a friend had enjoyed a fine meal at a local pub and were headed home. As we rounded a bend, we saw that a driver had spun his car off the road and it was lodged in the hedgerow. The driver was shaken but otherwise unhurt, and we quickly learned that he had lost control of the car through trying to avoid a pheasant on the road .
My wife sat talking with him; our friend phoned for the emergency services; and I directed the safe flow of traffic until the police arrived.
Now here’s the interesting piece. His grandmother had died recently and he was still in a state of shock over the loss. Moreover, his grandfather, in turn, had to be taken to hospital from a heart attack – and the ambulance that called for him was the same ambulance that arrived at the scene of this accident. And to top it, my wife tuned into his grandmother and was able to assure him that she was doing fine.
As my wife observed, the man had preceded us from the pub by only a couple of minutes and it was providential that we had followed close behind, to give the assistance that he needed, not only in dealing with the accident but also in dealing with the loss of his grandmother.
It seemed that his grandmother was looking out for him. But, as someone else remarked, “next time … just hit the pheasant”.