But two minutes later while making a right on Sepulveda (where I make a U-turn at this condo unit by some fountains), traffic was being diverted into the far right lane. A good pedestrian was motioning on the side of the road and I saw a white commercial van stuck in the middle of Sepulveda.
At first I didn’t think much of the stalled van. But then I saw a motorcycle on the ground. It was shredded into bits. Nearby, a man lay prone and motionless on his stomach. He had on a motorcycle helmet. Two people were standing over him.
It then occurred to me that the sound I heard while waiting at the drive-thru was the motorcycle hitting the van.
I began shaking and decided not to make my usual U-turn, which would afford my girls a possible vision of the prone driver. I continued to Crenshaw, made a left, and went down Carson.
Still on Sepulveda, the paramedics arrived. Five minutes later, on our street, my neighbor, a motorcycle cop, was on his way to the crash scene, verified by his wife who was in the front yard doing some gardening. She told me her husband arrives on these "death scenes" all the time.
I’ll talk to my neighbor next time I see him to see what happened to the driver.
Meanwhile, my girls are ignorant of what happened and on semi-quarantine since a kid recently went to their preschool with chicken pox.
My girls, who were vaccinated, may or may not have the pox but we’re keeping them away from babies for another week. And away from the idea of death . . . for now.
Update:
Here's the Dailybreeze story which says before 2P.M. he was in critical condition. But I talked to the aforementioned officer around 4:00P.M. and he says the motorcycle driver died.
Good move Jeff. Of course, Jim Morrison saw a horrific accident when he was in a car with his parents----Indian dead at the scene. He believed that the soul of the Indian who had just passed went into him at that instant.
Posted by: Angelo | February 18, 2013 at 01:03 PM
You did the right thing, Jeff. Better for them to start with things like the death of a goldfish or other pet, and work their way up from there. There will be plenty of exposure to death and dying in the years to come, no need to accelerate the timeline. The Disney movie "Bambi" should be as heavy as it gets. Let them enjoy their innocence.
And I hope they have a happy 3rd birthday!
Posted by: Ed | February 18, 2013 at 01:10 PM
To think that that chilling noise I heard, that I briefly dismissed, was the sound of someone dying. Turns out my neighbor cop ONLY gets called to death scenes.
Posted by: Jeffrey McMahon | February 18, 2013 at 02:37 PM
Daily Breeze has revised its story to say that he was in fact DOA. If nothing else, tell your kids how risky motorcycles are. Nearly everyone I've ever known who rode one was badly injured, some died.
Posted by: Ed | February 19, 2013 at 12:47 PM
You made the right choice. We all have to face the reality of death sooner or later, but three years old is too young.
Posted by: Keith Beesley | February 19, 2013 at 06:44 PM
On more than one occasion, as a boy, I recall riding in the car with my parents when we came upon traffic accidents. In those days there were no seat belts so bloodied bodies were strewn about on the ground. The parents did not react and I had no idea what I was seeing. Only many years later did it dawn upon me what I had witnessed. Motorcycle riding is a calculated risk. The calculations must begin before one mounts the bike and continue non-stop until one reaches one's destination. Many types of death are horrifying but statistically most people in the U.S. simply die in their sleep. Only a minority die from accidents or dramatic diseases. Don't miss out on life.
Posted by: Keith | February 20, 2013 at 12:26 AM
Children shouldn't be allowed to see such a traumatizing scene.
Posted by: Silver Hayes | March 06, 2013 at 02:21 PM