Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Library Emergency

Today, we headed straight to the library after picking Ava up from school. I had brought juice boxes and snacks with us. Our library is pretty nice (....despite being stuck in the dark ages. Could somebody please get some initiative to change the check out system so that every single book does not have to have a stamped library card inserted into a pocket? It takes forever!)
Anyway, there is a medium sized room with three tables and some vending machines right at the entrance of the library. I gathered the kids around a table, and we began to eat our snacks near the hub-bub of the check-out area. Suddenly I heard an extremely loud thud. I had no idea it was the sound of a human head hitting the hard concrete floor until a woman standing nearer to the check-out desk than us said, "Oh my God." I stood and moved a few feet so I could see what was happening. The children could not see anything from where they were sitting. An elderly woman had apparently collapsed while standing in the check out line. She was laying on her back, and I could not be certain, but blood appeared to be coming from her nose. She was obviously unconscious. It became suddenly quiet, time seemed to slow, and people stood scattered about almost frozen. Then the librarian behind the desk shouted for someone to call 911. I myself suddenly said out loud, "Is there a doctor, a nurse??" The woman was so still she honestly looked dead, but I heard a woman near her say she was breathing. I heard a woman talking on her cell phone with 911. I saw them place something soft under her head. I heard someone say, "She hit her head very hard." I heard another person say, "I think she is starting to come to." At this point, several minutes had passed, and decided to take the children on back to the kids' area. They were finished eating and I did not want them to see this scene. Several more minutes passed before I heard the sirens and saw emergency vehicles arriving. I don't know what the state of the woman was by the time they arrived, nor what will happen to her now. It was such an unexpected thing to see. And I wish I could get the sickening sound of that fall out of my mind.

2 comments:

Lynn Leaming said...

Just never know what life is going to bring! Just glad it wasn't one of your kids head that hit the concrete!!

Brooke said...

Wow. I hope she's alright.