The Catholic Defender: Wreck On Highway 190
It was early in the morning in the summer of 2012, I was traveling west on 190 entering into Copperas Cove. I had just arrived when I came upon an accident that had just happened moments before. I immediately pulled into a parking lot and ran to the scene. The old Combat Medic in me just came out along with the experience I have in these kinds of things. After a quick observation on the scene, I had the one gentleman maintain traction on the neck of the Lady who was sitting down. The risk of injury is too high not to maintain traction in accidents like this. I began making quick assessments as we waited for the police and the paramedics to arrive. The scene at this point was not safe in that there were three lanes backing up traffic and we were blocking traffic because of the wreck. There were two cars involved, it looked like both cars might be totaled, looked like a lot of damage. Another former military medic also stopped and I had him help out the other driver who had facial injuries but was alert. The Lady sitting on the street with traction appeared upset and I wanted to check for her ability to move her fingers and toes, if she had any numbness or tingling which in this case, she seemed alright. It wasn't long before medical help arrived and they placed the lady on the long board and secured her. As EMT's arrived, we developed a scene that was safe and the Paramedics did a great job in getting the injured out of there. The police did a good job doing what they do. Unfortunately, someone is going to be responsible, but for that time, ensuring that everyone is OK is the first concern. Once everything was secure, I thanked those who stopped and helped developing a safe scene and responding to help those in need. Then I left the scene knowing that everything was under control. You never know when you might find yourself in a situation that might require for you to act and make decisions. This morning was certainly not a planned event, it just happened. Our Faith is important as well as our training for such events. How many times do we come upon a situation where there are walking wounded. You can find them everywhere. It is important that we respond when the situation presents itself. Tack and confidence is important, but it is very important that we make a good assessment of the scene. Has the person been away from the Church for a long time? Where are they coming from about the Church. Are they simply indifferent or are they hostile? This makes a difference in how you respond. St. Paul gives this warning, "After a first and second warning, break off contact with a heretic, realizing that such a person is perverted and sinful and stands self-condemned". There is a point in time when the scene is not safe and your own soul could be affected. Under extreme circumstances, all you can do is pray for them. Also, it is best to have support with and for you. A lot of the time this involves families, I was speaking before a church group and I asked them this question, "How many of you know someone, a family member, a friend, who have left the Church". Virtually just about everyone raised their hands. Medically speaking, this would be an epidemic. We really need to be able to create a positive scene to help solve these problems. We have actively been working on this issue one person at a time and we prayerfully ask for support for Deepertruth. We pray for Catholic Answers with Tim Staples and Jimmy Akins, those guys are giants in Catholic Apologetics, we also pray for Steve Ray and Defenders of the Catholic Faith. I'm still a member over there as well and a lot of good happens there. We also see the good work done by Catholics Come Home and EWTN in reaching out to save a generation. Being open to the work of the Holy Spirit. There are a lot of good Catholic organizations out there creating a "safe scene" to help the walking wounded. In 2012, Deepertruth show, the Catholic Round-table interviewed Steve Dawson (the founder of SPSE) and others representing St. Paul's Street Evangelization. This was a great show as we were witnessing gang members forsaking violence and gangs and coming home to the Catholic Faith. Freedom is a great gift, James 1:22-25 states, "Be doers of the word and not hearers only, deluding yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his own face in a mirror. He sees himself, then goes off and promptly forgets what he looked like. But the one who peers into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres, and is not a hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, such a one shall be blessed in what he does." True liberty is the freedom to worship God in freedom. To take off the shackles that bind us into sin and captivity. Sometimes we might come along and run into a wrecked life, maybe they are hurting because of divorce. Maybe they have been involved in gangs, on drugs, sexual promiscuity, low self esteem. Maybe they simply have been mislead. If you should happen along on such a wrecked life, are you willing to stop and render assistance to help those in need? Or will you simply drive on and leave it for someone else? Spiritual first responders are so very important at least until spiritual help comes along, you just might help save a life.