What I Learned From a Ferry Accident

Photo by Benson Kua.

Photo by Benson Kua.

My parents and youngest brother visited us for a few days this week.

Yesterday we ate dinner on the picturesque Toronto Island and then watched the sun set before attempting to return to the mainland that evening. It was a warm, quiet, and uneventful ride until our ferry attempted to stop off at Hanlan’s Point to pick up a few more passengers.

Our ferry was the smallest one I’ve ever seen on that particular route. It had a long, narrow, enclosed space for passengers to sit on either side of it, but almost everyone was standing outside in the middle of it when the accident happened.

I was sleepy from a long day of visiting and sightseeing, so mom, my brother, and I were sitting and talking when we were suddenly pitched violently to the left. There was a horrible grinding, crashing noise at the same moment, and then everything was silent.

The three of us seemed to be ok, but Drew and my dad had been standing outside. I was still stunned when mom jumped up to see if they’d been injured. It was a relief to hear that they only had a few bumps and bruises even though they’d both fallen to the ground from the impact of the crash.

Most of the other passengers seemed to act like me right after the accident happened: sitting quietly and making sure everything still worked. A few leapt to action to make sure no one was seriously hurt (and they weren’t. The worst injury I saw was a woman whose knee had been banged up, but someone was able to get her an ice pack for it pretty quickly).

I suspect that some of these differences are inborn. Certain people react much more quickly than others in a potentially dangerous situation just like they’d be the first one to volunteer to try something new or exciting.

But I also think that training has something to do with it. My mom is a nurse who has often worked in settings that require her to react almost before she’s had a chance to think. I’m a writer. Stewing it over for a while is what I do best. 😉

Readers, what do you think?

 

 

 

6 Comments

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6 Responses to What I Learned From a Ferry Accident

  1. I think you’re right, training and some inherent personality traits are at play in such situations. But I think that a person’s state of mind at the time is also important. Since the accident caught you completely off guard, it would certainly take you longer to react than some who may have seen it coming, even if only on a subconscious level.

  2. Opa!

    I was still assessing if anything was broken on my body when someone was trying to pull me to my feet. Just bruises luckily. I’m still angry with the captain.

  3. Opa!

    Knee elbow and hip are ok. Back was a bit sore this morning but that’s to be expected.

  4. Pingback: Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge: Something “Lucky” That Happened to You | Lydia Schoch

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