Yesterday I saw a car accident at an intersection on my way home from the grocery store. One car was facing the wrong direction in the right hand lane. The other car was parked perpendicular to the first car a little behind it. One of the cars’ bumpers lay in the middle of the street. It seemed obvious that one or both cars was destined to end up in an auto body repair Salt Lake City shop in the near future. I did not see any people in or near either car as I drove past the scene. I did however take out my cell phone and call 911 to report the accident. The person on the other end of the line (an African American by the sound of his voice) asked me what was the emergency. I told him that there was a car accident and where it was located. The location happened to be in front of a medical center which I suppose is fortunate if any of the people involved in the accident happened to be injured and require medical attention. The man on the other end transferred me to the local police department. When I spoke to the gentleman on the other end at the local police department he told me that they were aware of the accident and a police car was en route to the scene as we spoke.
I thanked the man and hung up the phone. As I continued down the road I felt a certain sense of satisfaction that I had performed my civic duty by reporting the accident even though the authorities already knew about it. The important aspect of this story is the intention to do my part and make the world a better place. This is a small comfort I can take but probably not too comforting for the people whose cars are now sit in a collision repair Salt Lake City shop somewhere.
