Please read this...SERIOUS!
 

I posted this a while back, months and months ago. I think it should be read amongst you guys again. Please take it seriously: Whats up. OK, here is a story that made me pretty sad and makes me re-think about street racing. As you all know (or maybe you don't), I am an Emgergency Medical Technician and work for American Medical Response. Anyway, I was working the graveyard shift last night, and as my partner and I are driving along in our rig, we get a call. "EMS unit 12 respond to 1425 Fairfax blvd. Possible TC (traffic collition), no other information given, response code 3". So off we go and our ETA is about 5 min. As I come up to the scene in the distance I see 3 import racers (2 Hondas and and Integra). One Honda went head on into a street lamp pole. The other Honda hit up on the curb and slammed into a local business (a wall, not glass), and the Integra slammed right into the back of a parked car. So as I am comming up to the scene I am thinking, "Dude, we have a triage situation here." And I had never responded to a triage call before...everything that I knew about it was taught and trained to me. So I get out (after calling for addition units and advanced life support) and my partner tells me to check on the Honda that hit the business (it looked the worse), I get over there and I have 2 passengers. 1 female and 1 male aprox. 17-18. After checking vitals, etc I called for my partner over to help me with spinal immobilization. After getting them set, I ask my partner about the other cars, he tells me "They are both empty." I was like "what?" Aparently the other Honda and Integra bailed. I went over and checked the inside of the Honda, looking for a clue to maybe associate with an injury. There was an amount of blood on the seats and dash, but that was about it. This is all happening in about a 10 min period (we were working fast). I soon see advanced life support (L.A. City fire Paramedics) and 2 of our own units in the distance. And comming in the other direction are 3 LAPD cruisers. After they all converged on the scene and asked for a stat report, they couldnt believe it...2 patients out of all of this. LAPD called for an air unit and within about 2 min there was one. BTW, the 2 patients that stayed at the scene were VERY lucky. I thought (as I was walking up to the car), I may have 2 DOA patients. Other than a few scrapes, bumps, and bruises they will be ok. As I was making a preliminary report, I checked for tire marks in the road, etc. And sure enough there was some present. We "loaded and go'd" the female patient because her breathing was a concern to us. We didnt want her to go into shock. As I administed oxgen to her, her condition greatly improved (ya, its amazing what a little oxygen will do). I asked her what had happened and she declined to tell me anything except that "it was a stupid F!@king race, and I am sorry I ever got into the car with that ass!@#" She was really scared and what really got to me was, that as we were heading to the hospital, and after a long period of silence after her "explanation" about what happened, she pulled off her O2 mask and asked..."Am I going to die?" I comforted her and told her that she was going to be ok, and that she was lucky. But that statement she said really stayed with me, they was she said it and the look on her face. After turning her over to the ER, we headed back into service and not long after we found out that LAPD had found the driver of both of the other cars that bailed. One was in serious condition when he was found with a severed radial artery. Lucky they found him in time because without treatment he could have bled out and would have gone into shock which would eventually cause him to die. Anyway, that is the story of my LONG night. I am going to hit the sack now and prepare myself for another graveyard shift. BE SAFE OUT THERE! THINK ABOUT IT.

Yeah that's pretty messed up.

What's that? Heh. I don't know anatomy that well.

i wish we had a decent track around here so we could stay off the street, we may be able to race on a airport runway here soon that will be nice

every one of these stories makes me want to get out of this crap more and more. BTW i do not street race anymore ever. no matter what, not even playing around in traffic(40-60mph little sputs) i may gun it every now and then coming in to my appt on back roads, but never in traffic or around people/trees/curbs/lightpols/ditches etc etc. my car is trasportation now, thats about it i havnt gone above 5000rpms but maybe 4 times febuary

I think it's mostly a matter of intelligence. Stupid people get into stupid races and make stupid choices. The problem is that most cities don't have tracks and if they do they're in horrible condition. The last time I was at our local track (it's been a few years) I was in the return lane after a run and both myself and the other racer got holes in our tires from crap left all over the lane. A brand new set of $150 slicks and one's got a hole. The track hasn't had any improvements other than repaving the pits in 8 years. On top of that, a big group of rich people who live within earshot of the track want it closed because apparently the once-a-month races are a huge problem. The next closest track is over an hour away. So yes, I race on the street. But if there's a car parked on the street or a car anywhere in sight then it gets called off. Generally we race in industrial parks at night so no one's around. I can handle hurting myself if it came to that...that's my mistake and I'll pay the price. But I won't let my mistake become someone else's problem. So just make smart choices on where and when you race.

We have a decent track about 30 minutes from me. Its finally starting to get more sport compacts there. I remember going and having to line up with 5.0s, Z's & such. Talk about humbling. Now I can line up against ricers. I enjoy that much more.

We need some kinda industrial park. We don't have any of that cool stuff laying around.

I guess I am pretty darn lucky, I've got a track bout 15 minutes from me. I guess I should use it. Oh and another thing

NEVER RACE WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND IN THE CAR UNLESS SHE ABSOULTELY WANTS TO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aside from the few fast and furious girls, none of them want to.

The passenger in the car (if it's a beloved female) is the most important peice of cargo in the car.

Don't crash her.

Recently me and my girlfriend were riding in a minivan with my two other friends on some Ice because he was going to pull us on my old civic hood. While we were going to find some rope he decided to go 30 + mph on ICE!! A slight bend in the road sent him careening off course right into the back of a hyundai. Right before impact I grabbed hold of her and grabbed her head. I plunged her head to my chest and held with all my might. As we slammed into the car my head hit the window and bounced off. My girlfriend didn't hit anything but the side of my forehead. She was ok, because of me. I had one helluva headache the rest of the day. Then the other day, my friend Matt was drunk and driving us to a friends house and decides to tray slide his mitsubishi mirsage around a 90* doing about 65. With his pizza cutters, the whole car went sideways he over corrected and we slid the other way and almost hit a truck. He finally fixed the slide and straightened it back up, just in the nick of time. But no my girl won't get in the car with him...for anything.

you were riding with a drunk dude?! and you let him drive? I cant fathom that....

I didn't know he had been drinking at the time. (But that's what they all say.)

Thanks for making my story a sticky. I think it is something everyone needs to read. I still think about that night...

its an artery in your arm

I have street raced a few times, but I'm not one to make stupid choices, I've raced a guy who in his attempt to beat me had swerved between two cars and had come into inches of colliding with both, I merely back off. If I see that the other driver is a stupid driver I will back off,I'm a very safe driver aside from my constant speeding..and to think I have not hadone encounter with a law enforcementofficial *knock on wood*