Lending a helping hand

Last Tuesday was an eventful time. A Tuesday is one of the days when we have to get home sharp from work ready to get at least Carol-Anne fed and ready to go out again in time for Tuesday Club at 5:45pm. We normally get home about 5:10pm so thats fine. But this particular Tuesday was not going to play ball with us!

I picked C-A and Kathryn up from nursery at 4:30 and we soon headed off on the journey home which takes us through some nice countryside. Just outside of Bridge of Earn, on a stretch of road known locally as the Baiglie Bends, we came to a stop. A couple of vehicles were parked up and people were at the side. Now this road, which you'll guess from its name is particularly bendy, has a 30ft slope on one side down to a stream. People were looking down towards this stream. We got out of the car and discovered that a car had gone off the road and down this bend and was on its side in the stream which was thankfully low on water. We could see there was an elderly couple who were obviously okay as they were trying to get out. Now it was a bit wet and I had to suggest to people that it wasn't a good idea to go down the grassy uneven bank as that could lead to 3 casualties needing treatment. Emergency Services had been called so all we could do was wait. In the meantime, C-A and I went to either end of this stretch of bend and started directing traffic. After a short while, some builders stopped and got their ladders out and set to helping the couple out of the car. Thankfully, I watched as this couple came up the bank on the ladder unaided and walked to the other side of the road. The man looked winded and the lady was covered in glass, but on the surface, they looked to have had a very lucky escape. Another first aider was seeing to them as we still waited for the emergency teams to arrive whilst holding hands up to cars in the hope they'd stop! One muppet, having been waved through by me, proceeded to pull up behind our parked car and wait. I shouted and eventually had to run up to the car to get this person to go through. I wasn't very patient with her but it was a high intensity situation. After 15 mins, one person said "I presume the police have been called". My retort of "no, we're just standing here for the fun of it - please drive on sir" was probably not helpful but hey, it was a stupid question! After 25 mins, the police appeared, closely followed by the ambulance - both of whom parked in the most stupid of places! Policeman moved his car eventually said we could go, then proceed to ignore the traffic! So I waited on a bit longer until another police car arrived! It was all a bit manic and through it all, Kathryn sat a bit bemused and mildly distressed in the car - she was okay though. I was just glad to have been able to help and even more glad that the couple got out of the car. So at the time we would normally get home, we set off again. And further down the road, at a notorious bend just outside Falkland, there had been another accident. This one was sorted so we could carry on home! It just reminds me how lucky we are and how fragile life is. I thank God for his protection not just on this day when I was confronted by it, but every day. Even when we don't realise it, God is with us, guiding, protecting and so much more. Thanks God!