Shocking Sight

I was 18 when I first saw a dead body. Even then, it was far enough away not to be too gruesome a sight, although still very shocking. A young man had been drowned in the sea at Brighton when a freak wave rolled his dumper truck into the sea; he could not get out of the cab in time to survive. I remember how a sensation of cold fear ran through me as I realised what I was seeing, floating face down in the sea, below the cliff-top where I was standing.

Today, my 5 year old and my 7 year old were unfortunate enough to drive past a serious road accident on their way to school at 7:30 this morning. They both saw the victim out of the school bus window- a lady lying in the road, her face covered in blood, lifeless and shocking.

In a country where the general public do not have access to emergency response services, the scene was still open and the traffic was not diverted, so there was nothing the bus driver could do to avoid passing the dreadful scene and nothing she could do to prevent the children seeing the results of a horrible road accident.

Esther and Ben are now asking all kinds of questions. How did the school bus driver know that the lady was dead? What will happen to her now she has died? What if it's a lady that we know?.... It's a sad day for that lady's family.

It's a stark reminder for us of the need for protection on the roads in a nation where the number of road fatalities is among the highest on an international scale. Perhaps it is also a reminder that we cannot always protect our young children here from sights that they may not have to encounter in a more developed country, where efficient emergency response systems would have been in place.

Again, we are thankful that we are all safe today. I am grateful that Esther and Ben seem to be matter of fact about the incident, although I am preparing myself in case we get more questions. I am hoping that the children do not find themselves having nightmares later. Meanwhile, our hearts go out to the families involved in the tragedy this morning as we pray for them at this time.