On Monday a tragic event took place involving the Kansas City Missouri Fire Department. On the way to a injury accident they were involved in an injury accident of their own. They struck and killed a 7 year old boy. This is a tragedy that will hang over the heads of the boys family, friends and the family and friends of the firefighters involved.
As a firefighter you are dedicating yourself to helping others. You are prepared to see some very bad situations. You are prepared for the fact that you can't help everyone and some people are going to die no matter how great of a life saving attempt you give. No one is prepared to kill another human being, firefighter or not, and especially if the human is a child.
The driver of this truck will never be the same person. At best he has months and months of counseling, talking and making amends with himself. At best he will be able to be rehabilitated from this and will be allowed to rejoin his department. Most likely this is something that this driver will think about for the rest of his life. PTSD doesn't just happen to soldiers returning from war. This driver will most likely see the image of this child that he undoubtedly feels responsible for killing every where he looks and defiantly in his dreams. Reports say that the driver had to be physically removed from the truck and he was clearly crying and broken. Who wouldn't be?
The other three firefighters jumped immediately from the truck in hope there was something they could do. There was nothing. A 22 ton vehicle versus a 7 year old boy only ends one way. The boy losses. Tragic no matter how you slice it. A family losses their son and brother and the firefighters have to deal with the fact that someone has died directly resulting from them.
Lots of controversy has surrounded this event. The boys father thinks that a cover up has happened and that the story has changed to protect the firefighters because their family is black. They say the truck didn't have lights and sirens on and that it was speeding through a school zone. I am going to give the father the benefit of the doubt about his intentions with these outlandish allegations. One thing I am sure about, this death is no one's fault. It is not a firefighters fault for responding to an emergency call. It is not the 7 year old boys fault for running out in the street in front of a fire truck. This is just a tragic event. There is an assumed risk that in driving any automobile that accidents are going to happen and sometimes people are going to die. It is also an assumed risk that in letting small children walk home from school accidents are going to happen and every once in a while those result in deaths. In this horrible event it just happens that both of these assumed risks happened at the same time.
I would never wish this situation on anyone. Like I said I will reserve my judgment on the events that took place. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter because there is still a dead boy out there. Lights and sirens or not. Speeding or not. Failing to look both ways before you cross the street or not. A person is dead and now is the time to support each other, not point fingers at each other.
That was very insightful.
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