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Re: accident-sorry, this may be long....

          I appreciate your sharing your experience of encountering an 
     injured motorist and the conclusions you have drawn.
          
          When I am not a full time slave to work, and a full time gear 
     head, I am Nationally Certified Paramedic, running ambulance calls for 
     the Westminster, Md., Volunteer Fire Department. I have seen many, 
     many people, young and old, strong and weak, drunk and sober, get hurt 
     or die in Motor Vehicle Accidents. 
     
         When someone is as traumatized as it sounds like your motorist 
     was, there is NOTHING anyone can do. He technically died when he hit 
     the bridge. An experienced ER doc, with a room full of equipment, 
     could not have saved him. I know the frustration you felt. 
     
         It is especially ironic when the vehicle is a performance car. 
     When I see a trashed, twisted piece of metal and recognize it as a car 
     that some poor guy has spent many hours and many dollars on, I can't 
     help thinking "If he hadn't put that turbo on, he wouldn't have been 
     going as fast, and......". This would have heresy to me in my youth, I 
     had an SCCA license and often drove much too fast, and much too 
     carelessly. 
     
         This is not a diatribe against speed in general, but a reminder to 
     folks to expect the unexpected, and prepare for it.
     
         I'm glad to see you want to get a car with airbags. A few months 
     ago I arrived on the scene of a Taurus having struck a telephone pole 
     head on, at 55 mph. When I saw the scene all kinds of things went 
     through my mind, "How many helicopters should I call for?", ,"Do I 
     need an engine?""What is the chaplain's number?". When I got out I saw 
     a family of four talking to the State Troopers. I couldn't believe it, 
     but they were the "victims"! Their car had airbags, and they had 
     deployed. I actually had to plead with them to let me take them to the 
     hospital for checkups, and, if the Troopers hadn't helped me, they 
     wouldn't have! They were all released within hours of a high speed 
     accident. Bags work!
     
         Your concern about AIDS is understandable, but the AIDS virus dies 
     within seconds of exposure to air. What you should be very concerned 
     about is hepatitis. Hepatitis can exist in dried blood for two weeks! 
     You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to get tested ASAP. 
     Hepatitis is a potentially fatal disease, but is treatable, especially 
     in the early stages. Your health department might do these tests for 
     you for free, considering the exposure was due to a Good Samaritan 
     act.
     
         Well, I could go on for hours, as you have already determined. 
     I'll leave you with these request; Folks, please wear your seatbelts, 
     they WORK; and please drive carefully (doesn't always mean SLOW). Oh 
     yes, my personal crusade; NEVER sit in a left turn lane (right, for 
     you brits and aussies) with your wheels turned into traffic! I have 
     personal experience with 3 previously young healthy people who were 
     rear ended, crashed into oncoming traffic, and died.
     
         Take care of yourself, this world needs people like you.