Why didn't he stay dead?

First of all, I'm going to share some assumptions I have, about you. 

You are an intelligent person.  You are a compassionate person. 

However, I may have the odd reader, who's neither.  This post is for you.  The "quality" can shake your heads at this, with me. 

We have televisions at work.  If you live in America, you know the personal injury lawyers aggressively advocate in television commercials, for clients.  They talk about the big settlements they've won for their clients, and how they'll get one for you, too. 

Wouldn't that be nice? 

As you probably know, my husband was run over by a careless driver, about 13 years ago.  He sustained many severe injuries, died at the scene, and was eventually revived.  He has lifelong damage as a result of his accident. 

Texas law is strict: if you injure someone, they cannot go after your personal income, or home.  They can really only go after your insurance company.  If you have minimal insurance, they get a minimal settlement. 

Ron suffered lifelong damage; and racked up over half a million in medical bills.  The driver's insurance company admitted fault, and settled with our lawyer, as follows: 1.  Hospital got 10K, instead of the half a million.  2.  The lawyer got 40% (standard), which was 8K.  We got the remaining two thousand. 

"You just had a bad lawyer" we are told again and again.  "You screwed up.  You should have gotten the big settlement but you screwed up.  You and your loser lawyer..." 

First of all, realize you are attacking people who have suffered nearly the worst trauma, imaginable.  As a result, one of them is in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.  You want to attack him?  Really? 

I have lawyers in my family.  Three of them.  One went to Yale. 

That's not even counting my niece, in law school.  Point is, I asked. 

Ron called in to a show and spoke with a lawyer, who basically said "Yeah, that sucks, nothing you can do".

Let's talk about the witness.  There was a witness to the accident, a commercial truck driver, who told Ron it was "Safe to go".  When work found out we were looking for him, they closed ranks and played dumb.  "What driver?  We dunno no driver."  We weren't trying to put the guy in prison. 

Had we "caught" him - his insurance might have given us a decent settlement.  As it is, I'm pretty sure I met his little boy one day on one of my runs.  The driver knew we were looking for him, and more importantly, our lawyer was looking for him. 

The investigating officer lied on the report, because he stole Ron's cash, a significant amount, enough to pay for a couple of deliveries and our rent.  His accident had no witness, just a driver, and Ron walking backwards into the street, going away from work, instead of to.  Ron was going TO work, I assure you. 

We lived in a duplex development, about 50 houses.  It was close to work.  I would run up and down the street. 

Anyway, one day this young boy comes out and stands in front of me.  I go around, he follows me, yelling "Why is your husband alive?" 

I told him Ron got good medical care, and God decided it wasn't his time to die yet. 

The boy kept pestering me, asking why Ron wasn't dead, getting progressively more angry about it, finally shouting "My Daddy said he fell down like he was dead, after he got hit!  Why didn't he stay dead!?"  That's why I assume the boy's father must have been the truck driver.  Only a witness could describe that, and we only had one witness.  Only the son of the witness, hearing his father's concerns about a lawsuit (which would have been covered by insurance, anyway - if he lived in a rented duplex he didn't have any assets, anyway), would be so angry Ron had lived to sue. 

I hope the driver has nightmares about it.

Those kids over there were messed up.  Some of them got angry because I worried about the toddlers left unattended to wander in the street.  Having just seen the aftermath of an auto vs pedestrian, I knew they would be killed if someone hit them, even at a low speed.  The parents didn't care and eventually ended up poisoning my cat, Baby Girl the First, when I alerted CPS.

Confidential my ass.  They told the parents exactly who reported them, one of the mothers told me the day she threatened to beat me up.  I told her go ahead, that'll look real good to CPS, wouldn't it?  She did try to run me over but I jumped a curb.

A couple days later, I found her toddler, wandering in the street, 3 blocks from home.  I took his hand and brought him right back.  I was about halfway, and the kid behind a car, when I heard the father panicking, realizing his son (who looked just like him) was missing.  I yelled "Over here, I found him on my run."

When he got over, frantic, and panting, I looked him in the eyes and said "This is what I'm talking about."  

It stuck for a couple days and then it was back to babies wandering in the street with their push toys.  Agh.  Some of them couldn't even walk yet. 

Then I had little kids, and older kids, coming up to me and "telling" my cat got on the roof.  I told them I didn't care.  "Yeah," one said "I didn't think he would do that.  I was throwing rocks at him and..." 

I took a long, slow, look at him.  "You were doing what?" 

"Throwing rocks at your cat." He replied cheerfully.  Doesn't everyone? 

Thank God I am out of there.