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Dear Editor,

 

On Sunday afternoon, August 27th, shortly after lunch, a serious one-car accident occurred on Highway 31 just north of the Lighthouse Church in Thorsby.

I happened to be on my way to Clanton with my wife after church, when we came upon the accident that had just occurred.

As I got to the scene, I saw that numerous citizens had exited their vehicles and were attempting to rescue the person who was entrapped in a burning vehicle.

Not even thinking about their own safety, citizens from all races, both young adults and old, were rushing to help this person.

I witnessed humanity at its finest during this emergency. At one point people were pouring bottled water that they had in their cars over the flames.

A nearby neighbor came with a fire extinguisher to help put out the fire until the fire department could get on the scene.

Citizens were directing traffic and working together to help out in any way they could.

We all have been bombarded with hateful rhetoric and ugliness from the media telling us that we should be at odds with anyone with a different skin color, different religion, different opinion, or different way of life.

However, after what I witnessed today, I know there is hope. I saw with my own eyes, the love from ordinary people for a person they didn’t even know.

The willingness to risk one’s own life for the life of a stranger makes ordinary citizens into extraordinary heroes. Ordinary citizens who displayed extraordinary compassion for a fellow man.

When we left the accident scene, my wife told me that a lady, who was visibly shaken, asked if she could pray with her for this man.

Although my wife couldn’t understand what she was saying as she prayed in Spanish, she said that she prayed so fervently and was weeping as she prayed.

Because the lady was so upset, my wife asked her if the accident victim was her family member.

She told my wife it wasn’t a family member, but she was hurting for this person.

This makes me believe that the restoration of humanity is entirely possible.

 

Rodney Barnett

Thorsby Police Chief