Last week was an extremely painful week for me.I lost a very close friend who drowned in the St.Croix river when his car went into it.These are his last words when he dailed 911 when the Car was sinking in.
D: Dispatch
C1: Original caller
V: Voice in background
C2: Person first caller handed the phone to
D: Washington County Sheriff’s Office this is Sue.
Radio traffic St. Croix County to transfer for Stillwater
C1: (inaudible) Yeah, ah, actually we are in Stillwater
D: What?
V: The car is sinking
C1: We are, the car is sinking. We are, we are inside the Stillwater
V: And it’s boat, near the boat area (Very hard to understand.)
C1: It’s, it’s near the boat ah area (inaudible and very hard to understand)
D: Okay. All right. Just a minute here.
C1: And make it fast.
D: What is going on in Stillwater?
C1: Car, Oh God, we are in the car and we are going inside
D: Okay you’re in the car and your going
C2: Hello,
D: Yes.
C2: Hello we in the Stillwater, okay, and our car is sinking, now we in the water now. We are going to be submerged.
D: Okay, you’re car is sinking. Where are you in Stillwater.
C2: (inaudible) The car is going to sink now. You need to come. We are boat rental area. ( Very hard to understand)
D: You’re on where sir?
C2 (inaudible)
V: “I’m afraid” (inaudible)
D: It’s okay. Can you get out of the car without hurting yourself?
C2: Hello, hello.
D: Can you get out of the car, sir, without hurting yourself.
C2: Hello.
D: Where are you in
C2: Hello
D: Stillwater.
C2: Hello
D: I’m here.
C2: Yeah, our car is going to sink now. (crying)
D: Sir where are you?
C2: We are in Stillwater.
D: I understa
C2: We are in the near boat rental area. (Hard to understand)
Radio Traffic
D: Anybody else hear that?
V: (inaudible)
C1: Why did you go?
D: Can you get out of the car at all?
C2: No the car is, the water is full
D: The car is full?
C2: Yeah, the water is inside of our car.
V: (inaudible) in Stillwater
D: I need some help here because, I cannot understand where they are.
V: (inaudible) sinking (inaudible) Stillwater
D: All right, Sir
V: Sinking please.
D: All right you’re in front of the marina?
C2: Hello behind the boat rental deck area.
D: Okay
C2: We are sinking.
D: I know. I understand that. Can you get out of your car? Can you open your door?
C2: (inaudible) We don’t have swimming.
D: Okay, you can’t,
V: Don’t touch me.
D: You can’t get out of your car?
C2: We are going to drown
V: (inaudible) (Different language)
C2: One minute (inaudible)
D: Sir, sir, sir. Open the door.
V: Speaking in different language
C2: One (inaudible)
D: Can you open the door sir?
C2: No we can’t open the door.
D: Can you roll the window down at all?
C2: Hello
D: Is it, how much water is in the car?
C2: Hello
D: Sir, how much water is in the car?
C2: Hello, (inaudible) Hello.
D: I’m right here sir.
C2: We are in the (inaudible) area, Stillwater, and our car is inside the water.
D: Okay, how much water’s in your car do you think?
C2: Our car is going to submerge in the next ten minutes.
D: Can you kick the window out at all?
C2: No we can’t open the window. We can’t open the window.
D: I understand that. Can you kick it? Can you kick it with your foot.
C2: No we can’t do anything. It’s freezing water.
D: I know sir. I understand.
C2: (inaudible) us all.
D: Is your passenger on the phone too?
C2: Hello, hello, can you please answer for me to call 9-1-1.
V: (inaudible)
D: We already did. We already have. We already have someone coming to help you.
C2: Hello.
D: Sir.
C2: Hello.
D: You’re doing a good job sir. Can you kick the window out with your foot.
C2: (inaudible) ( Different language)
D: Sir, can you kick the window out at all.
V: (inaudible)
Radio traffic
C2: Hello.
D: Sir can you kick the window out at all with your foot.
C2: (inaudible) are submerged fully and die now.
V: (inaudible)
D: Can you kick.
C2: Different language. I’m going to die in this here.
D: Sir do you have a snow brush or anything sharp in your car? Or anything, ah heavy?
Radio traffic.
C2: (inaudible) Don’t panic. (inaudible)
V: (inaudible) Please,
D: Sir
C2: Hello
D: Sir
V: (inaudible) Lots of talking in background in car.
Pounding
Radio traffic
V: We can’t open the window.
D: They can’t open the door or something.
Phone tones like numbers being pushed
V: We cannot open the window.
Radio traffic
Phone tones like numbers being pushed
D: Sir
Radio traffic
D: Sir
Radio traffic
I am still trying to come to terms with his death which has come as a shock.The events in the last week seem like a bad dream.I helped write the obituary for internal infosys circulation,photos which i had taken of him came in the local news papers and was displayed at the memorial service,all happy ones of his!When they asked people to come across and talk about him at his memorial service,probably among all the people out there i could have talked the longest,but i couldn't speak a single word,all i could do was weep.
Yes,for me a very good friend(probably a brother) is gone but more than that a life is gone.A set of dreams, immense potential is gone.That vibrant enthusiasm for life is gone,that unique mindset is gone,that love for one's mother is gone,that immense love for people he liked is gone,those ideas,those thoughts,those ideals,everything,everything is gone forever.Nobody had a say!Nobody had a choice.
Links on the net about the happenings.
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/17664559.html
http://www.twincities.com/ci_8966505?source=most_viewed
2 comments:
I am sorry you lost your friend. Eight years ago we started telling everyone we could about the dangers of vehicle immersion drowning. We also told them about a cheap, practical, and effective called the Escape Tip. The Escape Tip is a simple addition to the seatbelt that can break glass. It is very small. It is not sharp. It works very well. 300 people a year die trapped in their vehicles under water. Google Escape Tip and drop me an email if I can provide any more information. I have four gigs.
This is a story my school teacher had told us about the inevitability of death -
A mother with a young son was told by a mendicant that her son was going to die on a particular day by coming under a wheel. The mother was of course very upset and on that prticular day, she refused to let the boy go out because she thought that it would be impossible for him to come under a wheel if he stayed indoors and maybe she will be able to cheat death this way.
So, she keeps him locked up inside with her all day. It is eventually night and she is ready to heave a huge sigh of relief and begins to make rotis for dinner. She rolls one of the rotis towards her son who is sitting not very far from the hearth, the roti strikes the son who falls down dead.
I know, this stroy is illogical and even absurd. But, I suppose one gets the point.
But, no matter how philosophical we get about death, the death of a close one definitely hurts. And this has been so tragic. Ironic, isnt it, that the car was sitting on its wheels and was just about a foot under water?
kallinante iruva jeeva nilladante maraNa veLe...
I pray that the family memeber of these young people find the strength to get over this tragedy. How are the two girls doing now?
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