avatarMonica Ray, M.Ed, MS

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I Called the Emergency Services for the First Time in the UK

It was a scary moment

Photo by Clark Van Der Beken on Unsplash

My husband was at the wheel of my Dad’s car in London (we have insurance) when we saw something unsettling on our way back home.

Just before the ride, we enjoyed a hearty pub lunch featuring fish and chips and assorted appetizers. It had been raining all day, but the roaring fireplace and hot food inside the pub made everything better.

Even though we’re in London, we’re in a location that can get rural and isolated in a hot minute. Bustling one minute, tranquil the next. It’s lovely, actually.

Anyway, there we were, minding our own business and chatting away on a 40 mph backroad when we suddenly came upon a medium-sized silver car with its hazards on, crashed into a tree.

No fumes, no indication that it had just happened. But it unsettled us deeply.

We broke into a conversation about what had happened and what we should do. I grabbed the phone and dialed 999 spontaneously. A voice answered immediately:

Fire, Police, or Ambulance?

I was scared stiff. Stilted words stumbled out of my mouth. The voice at the other end seemed to have heard it all before. He calmly interrupted me and asked me again:

Fire, Police, or Ambulance, Madam?

I collected my thoughts and said ‘Ambulance’. Who knew if someone was trapped inside? It was impossible to stop at the location of the accident and check, because of the bend it had occurred at and the speed of the road. We had to keep driving — there was no way to turn back.

I was able to give all the details I could to the lady I was transferred to and end my phone call. She mentioned that they would call us back if they needed further details.

After I hung up, we kept thinking about the accident and hoped that no one was hurt. We had seen open windows and deployed airbags. I hoped that the occupants had gotten to safety.

We waited a few hours but the emergency line never returned our call. We listened to the news but heard nothing. Perhaps that was a good thing and all was well. We hoped!

Be the upstander

We saw so many cars pass by at the scene. Perhaps someone else had also called it in, but perhaps not. Maybe everyone else was thinking that someone else would take action (the bystander effect).

When you witness an accident or a situation that warrants emergency intervention, it’s always the right thing to make the call and be an upstander.

After all, if you’re on the receiving end, wouldn’t you want someone else to do something and not just pass by?

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Emergency
London
This Happened To Me
Accident
Travel
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