- Dec 1, 2004
- 1,091
- 0
...and it seemed like any other Sunday night. But this night was going to be a little different. I work at a major computer manufacturer. I'm sure many of you have an example of their work. I drive a yard truck and move trailers in and out of the docks. Road drivers, working for common carriers come in, drop their empty trailers and then check-in with shipping to find out the ready time for their load. If the load is not going to be ready for some time the driver is supposed to go out to the "staging area" to wait for their load to be finished. Since the driver's entrance is in the middle of our busiest docks, we routinely have to ask them to move. :pissed:
So a little after 10:00 pm, a driver for a nationally known trucking company comes in, drops his empty trailer, and checks in at shipping. Like many of them do he parked right in front of the docks. After he came out, he got back in his truck and sat there in front of the docks. Needless to say it wasn't long before one of our yard drivers asked him to move. :pissed:
And move he did. He pulled away from the docks and went in the direction of the lot where the loaded trailers are staged. He stopped, somewhat in the middle of the yard, and went back into his sleeper. Given where he was parked I didn't give it much thought. I was assuming he needed something from the sleeper and would move on in a minute or two. After thirty minutes or so he is still in the sleeper, and I thought 'This guy must really be tired to sleep in the middle of the lot like that'. So i figured if he was that tired I would let him sleep a little while longer before asking him to move. At least he was not blocking the docks.
Finally, at about 1:30 am I knocked on his truck to tell him he could not sleep on the yard, and there was no response. Since we were busy I thought perhaps the driver had gotten out of his truck, without me seeing him, and went into the warehouse cafeteria or bathroom. So I let security know about the situation. Leon, the head of security that night, came out to check on the truck and driver. We both knocked/banged on the truck trying to wake-up the driver. Again, no response. I suggested to Leon that perhaps he should check the facilities inside to see if he could locate the driver. He did, and returned about ten minutes later to say that the driver was not inside the warehouse.
My truck has a spotlight on top, so I pulled my truck up to his front bumper and shined the spotlight into the cab and sleeper of the truck. The sleeper curtain was about halfway open and I could see what looked like a leg hanging halfway out into the cab from the bed. So I opened the door to the truck and we could see that indeed his foot and lower leg was extended into the cab.
I said to Leon "Shake his leg and see if you can wake him up."
Leon replied "No way, you do it!"
I promptly reminded him "You are the head of security."
So Leon took hold of the drivers pant leg and shook vigorously trying to wake him. No response. Leon called on the radio to various entities inside the warehouse to alert them that there was an unconscious driver on the yard. He hurriedly commanded that an ambulance be called. He gave instructions to another security guard to meet the ambulance at the front entrance and escort them to our location. A moment later two individuals from the company emergency response team arrived. They immediately began to evaluate the drivers condition. No pulse. No respiration. CPR was initiated.
A moment later the plant nurse was on the scene, having brought with her the emergency response medical bag. Included in that bag was a portable defibrillator. The nurse and the two ERT members worked feverishly to revive the man.
Approximately ten minutes after they were called, the ambulance arrived, with a rescue truck from the fire department. Paramedics quickly went to work on the driver, with an efficiency that was inspiring. After a few moments though, their efforts ceased. The driver was dead, to the point that he was already stiff. He had clearly passed several hours earlier.
The driver was removed from the truck. As I saw his face I could not help but notice he was a young man. Perhaps 30 years old, which is ten years younger than I am.. At this point I felt an odd vulnerability that I have not felt before. There was no visible trauma to the driver. Whatever had happened was an internal occurence.
Needless to say this was a profound event that, inspired in me, some rarely considered emotions and thoughts.
Here are just a few from that night-
1) I wonder where that driver is now. Surely the essence of a human being is not just flesh and bones.
2) He died alone in his truck.
3) The last human contact he had was "You can't park here!" And that was probably not said with love and compassion.
4) Since he was a young man; I wondered if there is a young wife, who may also be a young mother, out there who is going to be very lonely this Christmas.
5) I wonder if we shouldn't treat each other better, appreciate people and life more, not knowing what lies just around the corner.
The gravity of this situation has caused me to make sure this Christmas that God knows how thankful I am for His blessings in my life and in my family. I was not sure how to put substance to my gratitude, then I read Tony's thread- "A parents Worst Nightmare". <---Click here if you have'nt seen it yet.
I will, at my earliest opportunity, make a contribution (as generously as I am able), to the "MiniRocketman Fund".
So a little after 10:00 pm, a driver for a nationally known trucking company comes in, drops his empty trailer, and checks in at shipping. Like many of them do he parked right in front of the docks. After he came out, he got back in his truck and sat there in front of the docks. Needless to say it wasn't long before one of our yard drivers asked him to move. :pissed:
And move he did. He pulled away from the docks and went in the direction of the lot where the loaded trailers are staged. He stopped, somewhat in the middle of the yard, and went back into his sleeper. Given where he was parked I didn't give it much thought. I was assuming he needed something from the sleeper and would move on in a minute or two. After thirty minutes or so he is still in the sleeper, and I thought 'This guy must really be tired to sleep in the middle of the lot like that'. So i figured if he was that tired I would let him sleep a little while longer before asking him to move. At least he was not blocking the docks.
Finally, at about 1:30 am I knocked on his truck to tell him he could not sleep on the yard, and there was no response. Since we were busy I thought perhaps the driver had gotten out of his truck, without me seeing him, and went into the warehouse cafeteria or bathroom. So I let security know about the situation. Leon, the head of security that night, came out to check on the truck and driver. We both knocked/banged on the truck trying to wake-up the driver. Again, no response. I suggested to Leon that perhaps he should check the facilities inside to see if he could locate the driver. He did, and returned about ten minutes later to say that the driver was not inside the warehouse.
My truck has a spotlight on top, so I pulled my truck up to his front bumper and shined the spotlight into the cab and sleeper of the truck. The sleeper curtain was about halfway open and I could see what looked like a leg hanging halfway out into the cab from the bed. So I opened the door to the truck and we could see that indeed his foot and lower leg was extended into the cab.
I said to Leon "Shake his leg and see if you can wake him up."
Leon replied "No way, you do it!"
I promptly reminded him "You are the head of security."
So Leon took hold of the drivers pant leg and shook vigorously trying to wake him. No response. Leon called on the radio to various entities inside the warehouse to alert them that there was an unconscious driver on the yard. He hurriedly commanded that an ambulance be called. He gave instructions to another security guard to meet the ambulance at the front entrance and escort them to our location. A moment later two individuals from the company emergency response team arrived. They immediately began to evaluate the drivers condition. No pulse. No respiration. CPR was initiated.
A moment later the plant nurse was on the scene, having brought with her the emergency response medical bag. Included in that bag was a portable defibrillator. The nurse and the two ERT members worked feverishly to revive the man.
Approximately ten minutes after they were called, the ambulance arrived, with a rescue truck from the fire department. Paramedics quickly went to work on the driver, with an efficiency that was inspiring. After a few moments though, their efforts ceased. The driver was dead, to the point that he was already stiff. He had clearly passed several hours earlier.
The driver was removed from the truck. As I saw his face I could not help but notice he was a young man. Perhaps 30 years old, which is ten years younger than I am.. At this point I felt an odd vulnerability that I have not felt before. There was no visible trauma to the driver. Whatever had happened was an internal occurence.
Needless to say this was a profound event that, inspired in me, some rarely considered emotions and thoughts.
Here are just a few from that night-
1) I wonder where that driver is now. Surely the essence of a human being is not just flesh and bones.
2) He died alone in his truck.
3) The last human contact he had was "You can't park here!" And that was probably not said with love and compassion.
4) Since he was a young man; I wondered if there is a young wife, who may also be a young mother, out there who is going to be very lonely this Christmas.
5) I wonder if we shouldn't treat each other better, appreciate people and life more, not knowing what lies just around the corner.
The gravity of this situation has caused me to make sure this Christmas that God knows how thankful I am for His blessings in my life and in my family. I was not sure how to put substance to my gratitude, then I read Tony's thread- "A parents Worst Nightmare". <---Click here if you have'nt seen it yet.
I will, at my earliest opportunity, make a contribution (as generously as I am able), to the "MiniRocketman Fund".
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