A kind, wise soul

This happened a few years ago. I was riding a motorbike when I was hit by another speeding bike trying to overtake me. By the time I even realised what had happened, the person who hit me had fallen down and not wearing a helmet, severely injured his head.

In no time we were surrounded by curious onlookers, some advising on what I should be doing, some giving their piece of mind on how I should be driving not even knowing who was at fault and some spreading their own versions of how the accident happened, but none of them ready to help the injured rider.

An auto driver volunteered to drive us down to the nearest hospital where immediate first aid was provided after which the auto driver, his name was John, was kind enough to take us to the nearest police station, help file a complaint and then got the injured man admitted in a government hospital. In fact, on our way to the police station the injured man gained consciousness and pleaded with us to let him go as he was drunk and that he would give me a letter that it was not my fault.

The first instinctive reaction would have been to accept his offer and get away from the whole rigmarole but that is when the John’s advice made me think. He advised against accepting the offer lest I could get booked for a hit and run in the event anything untoward happened to the injured person. He pointed that the head injury had caused bleeding from one of the ears which could mean he possibly had multiple fractures internally. The written statement from him would be seen as me coercing the person when not in a sound state of mind. John’s help did not end there. He even went to the injured man’s house, after admitting him at the hospital, to inform his family members who were not at all shocked as he was a habitual drunkard. Only the next morning did he come to my house and just collect that money as per the meter. Normally, under such circumstances he could have actually fleeced me but he chose not to.

What really surprised me was that after a few months the injured man, rather than thanking us for saving his life, sued me for damages. A lawyer, who made his living by luring accident victims to file for damages by concocting how the accident happened, shifting all the blame on the other party, helped him with the legalities. Later I was enlightened that this was done because it was the insurance company that paid up as third party liability.

What a contrast between John who was sincere, so very helpful and humble and the injured bike rider who got greedy when the lawyer enticed him forgetting that he would not have been alive but for the immediate medical attention provided to him. I know that I may never meet John again but whenever I think about this incident my heart reaches out in extending a great ‘Thank You’ to him.