You were walking home after your basketball practice. While waiting to cross the road, your basketball teammates came along. Some were dribbling their ball and playing.
Each time I walk past the traffic junction opposite my house, memories of the tragic accident will fill my mind. I can still recall clearly what had happened. All because of one man’s rash act and impatience, a life was lost.
It was a blistering hot day. I was walking home after my basketball practice. As I approached the traffic junction, I heard voices from behind. I turned and saw a group of boys from my school. I recognized them as my basketball teammates. One of them was my neighbour, Tom. I waved and smiled to him.
After what seemed like an eternity, the ‘green man’ appeared. As I was tired, I quickened my pace to cross the road. All of a sudden, I heard loud screeching of brakes followed by loud shouts of “Tom!” At that moment, I had a sense of foreboding. I spun around instantaneously and was greeted by a gruesome sight. Tom was lying on the ground, unconscious. The other boys were equally shocked and they stood there, wide-eyed in horror.
I regained composure and I knew I had to act fast. Mustering all my strength, I sprinted to the nearest public phone and dialed ‘999’ for the police. After giving the operator the location of the accident, I ran back to the scene.
By then, a crowd had gathered. I looked around and noticed that the driver had fled from the scene. However, I was more concerned about Tom s l jostled my way through the thick crowd to see how he was. A shiver ran down my spine when I noticed that Tom was looking extremely pale. I knew he was critically injured. Many thoughts raced through my mind. Would he survive?
My thoughts were interrupted by the loud wailing of sirens. Help had arrived, finally. The ambulance, together with the police car, roared to a halt. Police officers cordoned off the area to keep the crowd at bay while paramedics ran up to attend to Tom. After a few attempts, they failed to revive Tom. They pronounced him dead. My mind went a complete blank when I heard that. The group of boys whom I believed was Tom’s best friends broke down and cried.
As the ambulance conveyed Tom to the mortuary, the police officers began to ask questions. Unfortunately, no one saw the vehicle number. I told them what I knew and I gave them the contact number for Tom’s parents. As the police dispersed the crowd, I walked home with a heavy heart. I hoped that the errant driver would be arrested soon.
