Hit and Run
Chapter 9
The vacant building was dark and damp. It smelled terrible - the smell of months, possibly years, of rot and decay permeating the clothes of the lone inhabitant of the building. Even though it was a beautiful, sunny late afternoon, the man woke up shivering from the cold and dampness of his surroundings. Samuel Benson wasn't sure where he was at first and surely didn't know how he had gotten there. Then it all began coming back to him and he smiled.
He reached up to touch his face, feeling the numerous cuts and abrasions crusted with dried blood and dirt. He felt all the aches and pains from the beating that his body took during the collision. He hadn't been sure he would survive the crash, but then he didn't really care anymore. He tried to sit up and immediately felt the pain from his broken ribs and arm. He cried out in pain and quickly quieted himself, not knowing if he was still alone in the abandoned building. He listened intently for a moment to ensure that there was no one else around. Finally, satisfied that he was indeed alone, he continued to try to stand up.
He drew in short, sharp breaths - each one more painful than the previous one. He tried to take a step, but realized that he had no feeling in his right foot. He looked down and saw the dried blood stains about his pant legs and shoes. He pulled up the leg of his pants and saw the reason for the numbness in his foot - there was a large gash just above his ankle and sticking out of it was a jagged shard of metal - probably from the brake pedal that sheared off with the impact of the crash.
He toyed with the idea of just waiting for death to take him. But after a few moments he decided that if he had survived the crash, it was for a reason. He told himself that his work wasn't done yet - more people had to pay. He thought of his beautiful wife and daughter - the two lights of his life. They were gone now - taken from him on that awful night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a terrible rainstorm. He shouldn't have had them out in the storm. He shouldn't have been driving that night. But he told himself that he only had a bit farther to go and they would be in their new home. And then the worst had happened. He lost control of the car on the rain-slicked road. The car swerved. He had tried to regain control, but he over-corrected. The car slid out of control and just happened to hit the curb on the side of the bridge at the right angle. The car went airborne and over the side, landing in the rain-swollen river below.
He was stunned for a few moments, but when he had regained his senses he felt the cold water rushing in on his legs. He looked over at his wife and then back to his daughter, who was in her car seat in the back of the car. His wife was unconscious, but his daughter was crying hysterically. He couldn't reach her from where he was. He was able to work his seatbelt free. He exited the vehicle on the driver's side with the intention of going around the car and getting his wife and daughter out. But, he hadn't realized that the current would be so swift. He was immediately caught off-guard and swept away from them by the rushing water.
He heard the sirens in the distance over the roar of the water. Thankfully someone had seen the car go over the side and called for help. He was able to reach out and grab hold of some debris on the bank of the river and hold on. Finally, he heard people coming down the bank of the river and calling out to see if anyone was still in the vehicle. He could see by the reflection of the searchlights on the water that the level of the water in the car was rising rapidly. He could still see his daughter in her car seat. She was still crying. He could hear her calling for her Mommy and Daddy. He tried as hard as he could to fight his way back against the current, but he just wasn't strong enough.
"Why aren't the police officers doing anything?!" he thought to himself angrily as he watched them standing on the riverbank. He heard more sirens rapidly approaching. He heard the officers call up to the paramedics that had just arrived, "There's people in the car! Hurry - it's filling with water!"
"What was taking them so long?" he thought frantically. He didn't want to yell out. He didn't want to draw their attention away from his wife and daughter. He wanted them to have their undivided attention. He could hold on as long as he had to, and if he couldn't then at least he knew that his precious family would be safe.
Finally, one of the police officers tried to wade into the water, but he went back. The current was too strong and he couldn't get to the vehicle without getting swept away by the current. The officer thought "What good would it do for him to add more victims to the incident."
The man couldn't hear his daughter yelling anymore as the firefighters brought their equipment down the embankment. They had tied off and rigged up a way to get out to the car. He heard them yell back to those waiting on the riverbank. "There's two in here. They're underwater. We'll have them out in a minute. The driver is missing and the door is open. You better start checking downstream," came the information from the rescuer.
Then he heard a voice just above him, "Here! I have someone hanging on down here. Hurry!"
"No, just save my family!" he cried. Soon he felt himself being dragged from the water. Paramedics were around him. He was quickly covered with blankets and moved into the heated ambulance. He kept asking where his wife and daughter were but no one would tell him. Finally, the ambulance brought him to the hospital. He never saw his wife and daughter alive again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Because they left them there. They gave up on them!" he said, smashing his hand against the wall, bringing himself out of his memory. "And now they have to pay!" he vowed.
The man reached down and pulled the piece of steel from his leg, causing the bleeding to start again. He looked at the date on his watch and thought for a moment. It had been almost 24 hours since he had slammed into the accident scene. He was desperate to find out what kind of damage he had inflicted. He decided that enough time had passed that he could go to the emergency room with some kind of story to explain his injuries without being questioned.
He slowly made his way out of the dilapidated building, noticing the sign that said demolition was scheduled for tomorrow. "Good thing I decided to leave today," he thought to himself. He shielded his eyes from the harsh daylight and immediately received curious stares from passersby on the street. He wandered down the street and was amazed at how long it took someone to offer help to him. Obviously, no one gave a second thought to helping someone that may be less fortunate than themselves.
"Hey, buddy! Are you okay?" asked one young man finally as he walked by. "Do you need an ambulance?" he asked as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Samuel grunted to the man that he did need an ambulance. He had thought enough to throw his wallet with his identification away before he came out of the building. No sense taking any chances that they'd be able to connect him with the vehicle that he stole from the junkyard and got running again. He'd just be another vagrant off the streets in the emergency room - the cost of his medical care paid by the City.
In a matter of minutes, there was an ambulance and police car where the young man sat him down. He had gotten him a bottle of water from the corner store and brought it back to him. He asked the man's name, making a mental note to try to repay him someday.
"Sir, do you remember what happened to you?" the black medic was asking him. He looked at the medic's partner and didn't like the look in his eyes. "This one definitely has a chip on his shoulder," Samuel thought to himself.
He answered, "I'm not sure. I think I fell in the building I was sleeping in. I don't remember," he said, trying to sound vague, like he was coming off a 3-day drunk.
"Well, you have some pretty nasty cuts here, Sir," explained the medic. "You need to go to the hospital to have them cleaned out and fixed up. Okay?" he asked. Samuel just nodded his agreement and was loaded into the ambulance.
"Hey Doc," called one of the police officers that had been talking with the man who helped Samuel. "I'll meet up with you at the hospital and get the information off your paperwork. They're banging us for another call," he finished as he rushed off to his RMP without waiting for an answer from Doc.
He let the medic clean up his wounds and do what he had to do in order to give his report to the emergency room staff on arrival. He was wheeled into the emergency room and taken right into a treatment room, where a nurse came in to ask him a bunch of questions.
She asked him for his name, date of birth and address and he was about to answer when he heard another police officer in the next room talking to one of the doctors. "We were able to trace those prints from the car back to a Samuel Benson. So, if you get anybody in here matching the description on this flyer, give us a call right away. From the looks of the car, he sustained some injuries and might be seeking medical care for them" said the officer before leaving.
"Dammit!" Benson thought to himself. He had forgotten that they would have fingerprints on file for him. He had had to have a background check done for his job with the State five years ago and fingerprinting was one of the requirements.
"Sir, can you hear me?" asked the nurse again. Samuel looked at her and she repeated, "I'll need your name, date of birth and address so we can start a chart on you. Have you ever been seen here before?" she continued.
He shook his head no and answered her questions, "Sam...." he started to say before correcting himself. "Simon Crisafulli," he answered. He finished giving her the rest of the false information she was requesting.
Samuel was examined by the doctor and x-rays were taken. He answered the doctor's questions about how his injuries were sustained. He hoped he was convincing because he was going to be stuck here for a while. The doctor said that he would have to be admitted for surgery to his ankle to repair some damage to the tendons and ligaments.
As Samuel was being wheeled up to his room, he overheard some nurses talking at the desk about the two cops that were run down by the hit and run driver yesterday. One of the nurses said, "Well, you know the one cop was killed at the scene. The other two were brought here. One of them almost checked out right here in the ER, but they were able to stabilize him."
Another continued, "Yeah, I was talking to Annie - she was working on the one that almost died - and she said that it looked like he was really gone, but Mary Proctor - who was working on the other one - suddenly ripped open the curtain between them and helped the female cop grab onto her partner's hand. It was like a miracle because all of a sudden they were able to get him stabilized and then he went up to surgery."
As he was wheeled away to his room, Samuel heard the nurses finish talking with, "and then the female cop was taken up to surgery too. They're both in the ICU, but it looks like they're gonna make it, thank God."
"Well, we'll see about that," thought Samuel to himself as he began plotting his next move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC....
Sorry there wasn't too much of the TW gang in this chapter, but I wanted to give you some background on the hit and run driver. Hope it was okay.
Chapter 9
The vacant building was dark and damp. It smelled terrible - the smell of months, possibly years, of rot and decay permeating the clothes of the lone inhabitant of the building. Even though it was a beautiful, sunny late afternoon, the man woke up shivering from the cold and dampness of his surroundings. Samuel Benson wasn't sure where he was at first and surely didn't know how he had gotten there. Then it all began coming back to him and he smiled.
He reached up to touch his face, feeling the numerous cuts and abrasions crusted with dried blood and dirt. He felt all the aches and pains from the beating that his body took during the collision. He hadn't been sure he would survive the crash, but then he didn't really care anymore. He tried to sit up and immediately felt the pain from his broken ribs and arm. He cried out in pain and quickly quieted himself, not knowing if he was still alone in the abandoned building. He listened intently for a moment to ensure that there was no one else around. Finally, satisfied that he was indeed alone, he continued to try to stand up.
He drew in short, sharp breaths - each one more painful than the previous one. He tried to take a step, but realized that he had no feeling in his right foot. He looked down and saw the dried blood stains about his pant legs and shoes. He pulled up the leg of his pants and saw the reason for the numbness in his foot - there was a large gash just above his ankle and sticking out of it was a jagged shard of metal - probably from the brake pedal that sheared off with the impact of the crash.
He toyed with the idea of just waiting for death to take him. But after a few moments he decided that if he had survived the crash, it was for a reason. He told himself that his work wasn't done yet - more people had to pay. He thought of his beautiful wife and daughter - the two lights of his life. They were gone now - taken from him on that awful night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It had been a terrible rainstorm. He shouldn't have had them out in the storm. He shouldn't have been driving that night. But he told himself that he only had a bit farther to go and they would be in their new home. And then the worst had happened. He lost control of the car on the rain-slicked road. The car swerved. He had tried to regain control, but he over-corrected. The car slid out of control and just happened to hit the curb on the side of the bridge at the right angle. The car went airborne and over the side, landing in the rain-swollen river below.
He was stunned for a few moments, but when he had regained his senses he felt the cold water rushing in on his legs. He looked over at his wife and then back to his daughter, who was in her car seat in the back of the car. His wife was unconscious, but his daughter was crying hysterically. He couldn't reach her from where he was. He was able to work his seatbelt free. He exited the vehicle on the driver's side with the intention of going around the car and getting his wife and daughter out. But, he hadn't realized that the current would be so swift. He was immediately caught off-guard and swept away from them by the rushing water.
He heard the sirens in the distance over the roar of the water. Thankfully someone had seen the car go over the side and called for help. He was able to reach out and grab hold of some debris on the bank of the river and hold on. Finally, he heard people coming down the bank of the river and calling out to see if anyone was still in the vehicle. He could see by the reflection of the searchlights on the water that the level of the water in the car was rising rapidly. He could still see his daughter in her car seat. She was still crying. He could hear her calling for her Mommy and Daddy. He tried as hard as he could to fight his way back against the current, but he just wasn't strong enough.
"Why aren't the police officers doing anything?!" he thought to himself angrily as he watched them standing on the riverbank. He heard more sirens rapidly approaching. He heard the officers call up to the paramedics that had just arrived, "There's people in the car! Hurry - it's filling with water!"
"What was taking them so long?" he thought frantically. He didn't want to yell out. He didn't want to draw their attention away from his wife and daughter. He wanted them to have their undivided attention. He could hold on as long as he had to, and if he couldn't then at least he knew that his precious family would be safe.
Finally, one of the police officers tried to wade into the water, but he went back. The current was too strong and he couldn't get to the vehicle without getting swept away by the current. The officer thought "What good would it do for him to add more victims to the incident."
The man couldn't hear his daughter yelling anymore as the firefighters brought their equipment down the embankment. They had tied off and rigged up a way to get out to the car. He heard them yell back to those waiting on the riverbank. "There's two in here. They're underwater. We'll have them out in a minute. The driver is missing and the door is open. You better start checking downstream," came the information from the rescuer.
Then he heard a voice just above him, "Here! I have someone hanging on down here. Hurry!"
"No, just save my family!" he cried. Soon he felt himself being dragged from the water. Paramedics were around him. He was quickly covered with blankets and moved into the heated ambulance. He kept asking where his wife and daughter were but no one would tell him. Finally, the ambulance brought him to the hospital. He never saw his wife and daughter alive again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Because they left them there. They gave up on them!" he said, smashing his hand against the wall, bringing himself out of his memory. "And now they have to pay!" he vowed.
The man reached down and pulled the piece of steel from his leg, causing the bleeding to start again. He looked at the date on his watch and thought for a moment. It had been almost 24 hours since he had slammed into the accident scene. He was desperate to find out what kind of damage he had inflicted. He decided that enough time had passed that he could go to the emergency room with some kind of story to explain his injuries without being questioned.
He slowly made his way out of the dilapidated building, noticing the sign that said demolition was scheduled for tomorrow. "Good thing I decided to leave today," he thought to himself. He shielded his eyes from the harsh daylight and immediately received curious stares from passersby on the street. He wandered down the street and was amazed at how long it took someone to offer help to him. Obviously, no one gave a second thought to helping someone that may be less fortunate than themselves.
"Hey, buddy! Are you okay?" asked one young man finally as he walked by. "Do you need an ambulance?" he asked as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket. Samuel grunted to the man that he did need an ambulance. He had thought enough to throw his wallet with his identification away before he came out of the building. No sense taking any chances that they'd be able to connect him with the vehicle that he stole from the junkyard and got running again. He'd just be another vagrant off the streets in the emergency room - the cost of his medical care paid by the City.
In a matter of minutes, there was an ambulance and police car where the young man sat him down. He had gotten him a bottle of water from the corner store and brought it back to him. He asked the man's name, making a mental note to try to repay him someday.
"Sir, do you remember what happened to you?" the black medic was asking him. He looked at the medic's partner and didn't like the look in his eyes. "This one definitely has a chip on his shoulder," Samuel thought to himself.
He answered, "I'm not sure. I think I fell in the building I was sleeping in. I don't remember," he said, trying to sound vague, like he was coming off a 3-day drunk.
"Well, you have some pretty nasty cuts here, Sir," explained the medic. "You need to go to the hospital to have them cleaned out and fixed up. Okay?" he asked. Samuel just nodded his agreement and was loaded into the ambulance.
"Hey Doc," called one of the police officers that had been talking with the man who helped Samuel. "I'll meet up with you at the hospital and get the information off your paperwork. They're banging us for another call," he finished as he rushed off to his RMP without waiting for an answer from Doc.
He let the medic clean up his wounds and do what he had to do in order to give his report to the emergency room staff on arrival. He was wheeled into the emergency room and taken right into a treatment room, where a nurse came in to ask him a bunch of questions.
She asked him for his name, date of birth and address and he was about to answer when he heard another police officer in the next room talking to one of the doctors. "We were able to trace those prints from the car back to a Samuel Benson. So, if you get anybody in here matching the description on this flyer, give us a call right away. From the looks of the car, he sustained some injuries and might be seeking medical care for them" said the officer before leaving.
"Dammit!" Benson thought to himself. He had forgotten that they would have fingerprints on file for him. He had had to have a background check done for his job with the State five years ago and fingerprinting was one of the requirements.
"Sir, can you hear me?" asked the nurse again. Samuel looked at her and she repeated, "I'll need your name, date of birth and address so we can start a chart on you. Have you ever been seen here before?" she continued.
He shook his head no and answered her questions, "Sam...." he started to say before correcting himself. "Simon Crisafulli," he answered. He finished giving her the rest of the false information she was requesting.
Samuel was examined by the doctor and x-rays were taken. He answered the doctor's questions about how his injuries were sustained. He hoped he was convincing because he was going to be stuck here for a while. The doctor said that he would have to be admitted for surgery to his ankle to repair some damage to the tendons and ligaments.
As Samuel was being wheeled up to his room, he overheard some nurses talking at the desk about the two cops that were run down by the hit and run driver yesterday. One of the nurses said, "Well, you know the one cop was killed at the scene. The other two were brought here. One of them almost checked out right here in the ER, but they were able to stabilize him."
Another continued, "Yeah, I was talking to Annie - she was working on the one that almost died - and she said that it looked like he was really gone, but Mary Proctor - who was working on the other one - suddenly ripped open the curtain between them and helped the female cop grab onto her partner's hand. It was like a miracle because all of a sudden they were able to get him stabilized and then he went up to surgery."
As he was wheeled away to his room, Samuel heard the nurses finish talking with, "and then the female cop was taken up to surgery too. They're both in the ICU, but it looks like they're gonna make it, thank God."
"Well, we'll see about that," thought Samuel to himself as he began plotting his next move.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC....
Sorry there wasn't too much of the TW gang in this chapter, but I wanted to give you some background on the hit and run driver. Hope it was okay.