Every Saturday, I get up about 6 AM and watch old movies on the Turner Classic Movie channel. One of my favorites is Rear Window starring James Stewart and Grace Kelly. In this movie a photographer is home bound and confined to his wheelchair from which he watches his neighbors. Today’s audience might not find this movie so fascinating since we no longer have to peep through partially closed blinds and curtains to spy on our friends and neighbors.
In Atlanta on Easter Sunday afternoon, there was a tragic accident that took the lives of 5 people – 3 children, 2 adults – and injured another adult. It was a hit and run. When I first heard about the accident I was outraged as I imagined some irresponsible, heartless, drunken driver fleeing the scene of the accident. I watched the news as they described the car and its damages. I watched as the police went house to house, garage to garage looking for the beige BMW that was involved in the accident.
Finally on day 10, after an anonymous tip, the police find the car and they find their man. But wait, the man is 22 year old Aimee Michael, a recent college graduate whose life was just beginning. I’m still outraged at her actions but my opinion begins to soften. As I learn more about Aimee, my thoughts swing back and forth like a pendulum. Suddenly I see my two daughters and I imagine how scared and confused they might have been if placed in the same situation. But just as suddenly I see myself and their dad telling them to turn themselves in.
Aimee’s age is right between what I call “young and dumb” and “responsible adult.” Her parents, however, should have been responsible adults and made Aimee turn herself in, no matter how afraid she was. Now the one bad decision to flee the scene of an accident is compounded by another bad decision to hide.
It’s easy to sit back and watch people’s lives play out. We do that every day. We watch TV and listen to the radio. We blog and we tweet. We watch people’s successes and failures; we watch them make mistakes.
Aimee did a terrible thing. I feel bad for her but I feel worse for the families of the five people who died. There’s no happy ending here, just a sad regrettable situation and the lives of three families that will never be the same.
yikes tough call but not. i guess you never really know what you would do in a situation, but coming forward is the responsible thing to do. i hope i’m never faced with such an issue. if you leave the scene, that’s probably worse than staying there and saying it was an accident. you might get cleared for the accident, but innocent people don’t run.
Hi Natural. I agree with you on most of this but sometimes, innocent people do run. I grew up in an area where we were afraid of the police, so people in my community would run in a minute, innocent or not; however, it’s still not the right thing to do.
Not defending the young lady, but fear and panic will sometimes make us do stupid things. When I think of this whole situations and my daughters, I can see my husband saying, “Come on, we’ll go to the police together.” Since her dad is overseas, I wish her mother had thought of that.
I have been outraged by this whole easter sunday hit and run. I feel not only was the young lady irresponsible but so was her family. I sat and wondered how long could this individual watch the news and not be feeling completely guilty inside. We say that we don’t know what we would do in this situation, but I pray that the God that lives within me would lead me to do the right thing. Just another reason to have a relationship with the creator.
I too was outraged at the Easter Sunday Hit and Run. When I heard the person was caught, I was more upset with the young ladies family than the driver. I even put myself in the drivers shoes and at 22 years old the fear and conversion that I felt just as a young person, I could not imagine telling my mom and she not convincing me to turn myself in. Even if it was my daughter who’s 25 years old and stuck somewhere between “young and dumb” and “responsible adult”, she would have two (2) choices you tell or I would tell. As outraged as I am at the family, my heart bleeds for the family that lost their love ones. They left these families with open wounds for 10 days and they could have put a bandage on them with coming forward. God bless them all.
@Tracy and Jason – it seems to be a consensus that people are equally disappointed in Aimee’s family for not making her turn herself in. I’m waiting to see if the DA’s office files charges against the mother as well.
I really like the perspective you put it in. What if it were my child? My conscience now tells me that I, too, would make him/her turn themself in. When you think about it from the position of those who lost family members, you definitely want someone to come forward. Stand up. Be responsible. Accidents happen, even with this sort of tragic ending. We must teach our children and remind ourselves to always, do the right thing.
Thank you opening my eyes to see it from both sides, and not just one.