Walk Carefully

Walk Carefully

            This month’s column has almost nothing to do with human population. It details an event that was life-changing for me, and could have been life-ending. However, getting bumped off by a careless driver is no way to solve overpopulation! I write to help others be safer.

Back in November my wife and I were crossing Main Avenue in the crosswalk on the way to one of Durango’s restaurants. We weren’t sure if it was north or south of 7^th Street, and I remember looking to the left to see if the eatery was in that direction.

The next thing I knew was waking up in the CT scanner at Mercy. I had been hit by a car whose driver “didn’t see me”. Fortunately he stopped; unfortunately he parked with my foot under a tire.

Happily the results of the CT scan and other tests showed nothing terrible was done. I had a broken bone in my right ankle in addition to multiple bruises and “road rash”. The concussion saved me from remembering the accident, and its aftereffects are gradually resolving. There was a large bruise on my left leg where the car had probably first hit me. The hematoma became infected and had to be drained.

The hematoma and dead skin that covered it seeded another infection. I went back to the operating room to have that removed, leaving an open wound. Now, almost 4 months after the accident, I am still recovering but am almost healed.

I am very fortunate: my injuries could have been so much worse. Searching the Herald archives since my accident I found 4 more pedestrians who had been hit by vehicles in Durango and one in Hermosa, so mine was not an isolated misfortune. It would seem that it isn’t safe to be a pedestrian in Durango!

There are several lessons when looking at my accident from a public health standpoint. Everyone knows that drugs and alcohol are among the most common causes of motor vehicle accidents. Texting and talking on a cell phone are frequent causes of accidents. Apparently none of these possible factors was pertinent to my accident.

One possible contributing factor is that I was wearing a blue jacket and dark jeans. These are less visible than lighter colors. Although the “dark skies” initiative is admirable, I think that the lights in downtown Durango are dimmer than they should be.

The care I received has been excellent. A woman who was working at a store close by came and kept my neck from moving and made sure I was responsive. My wife and others told the driver that he was parked on my foot and got him to move the vehicle. The police and ambulance arrived quickly. They started two IVs and drove me to Mercy with all the proper precautions. An emergency physician evaluated me and ordered appropriate tests. Then they applied a splint to the broken ankle.

There was a surprise in the ER—a bouquet of flowers brought by unknown well-wishers. It turned out that they had just started one of new restaurants where Francisco’s had been. We ate dinner there a month or so after the accident; their chile rellenos are excellent!

I have several suggestions to try to prevent pedestrians from being hurt in the future. Individuals can avoid trauma by being more paranoid when crossing streets—even in the crosswalk. Wear light-colored clothes at night; even better, wear clothes that have reflective markings.

The City of Durango already is concerned about lighting. From Christina Rinderle’s column “From the Mayor” in the January 29^th Herald: “Other items were placed in the high impact/low effort quadrant that we hope to be “quick wins”, like enhancing downtown lighting to make it safer and more inviting….”

A traffic light at the corner of 7^th and Main would help. My wife, Gail, has a suggestion for a less expensive solution. Mount spotlights aimed at the crosswalks on poles at the corners of Main that do not have traffic lights. When a pedestrian wants to cross, s/he would push a button to turn on the spotlight for long enough to safely cross the street.

I feel very fortunate that my injuries were no worse, but even with relatively minor trauma it is taking me 3 surgeries and over 4 months to recover. Please be careful!

© Richard Grossman MD, 2017