...I see two SUVs try to merge in the same lane at the same time. Thankfully they avoided each other but one of them--a gold Jeep Cherokee--swerved away rather hard.
Well, it kept swerving, across two lanes of traffic and into the outside service lane. This kept up for the better part of a mile at speeds around 60mph. It eventually went into the outside retaining wall, bounced off but kept going. Being EMT-B certified I slowed down, prepared to stop if the Jeep stopped...but it didn't, it kept going and kept swerving so much so a couple of cars were required to take evasive action.
I dial 911.
I give the dispatcher make, model, color and tag number. The dispatcher asked if I was following, I say I have no desire to be confrontational but will accept her advice. She asks where is the Jeep going.
The Jeep exits and I follow. It crosses under the interstate. The dispatcher asks for my vehicle description so the cops know who to look for and I reply with description and say I have put on my hazard lights.
"Good idea," I'm told. Whatevs.
While I'm giving the description the Jeep drives up on to the sidewalk, proceeds about a car-length before thumping back onto the roadway.
A few more turns and the Jeep parks on the road outside an apartment complex. Driver gets out. A young female, mid-20s, blond pulled back into a ponytail. She has a pair of pugs in the Jeep with her. She calls to them, her speech obviously slurred and walks to her apartment a little wobbly. She makes no effort to assess damage to her vehicle.
Seconds later an unmarked police car pulls up and I lead the officer to the door where she is still fumbling with the keys. I return to my car while he speaks with her. I notice she has a dark stain on the seat of her pants. Two more officers arrive in turn. They discuss field sobriety. One asks me to make a written statement. I comply.
As I finish my statement the last officer to arrive is carrying a pair of amber-colored prescription drug bottles. I announce I am a medic and ask to see. One is high blood pressure but the other is vicodan. Both are made out to "Michael Jackson." I point this out to the officer who seems to have not noticed until now. We joke about it.
They Mirandize her and put the cuffs on her I ask if she had spilled her coffee or something to explain her stained pants or if she had pissed herself. The first officer to arrive says snarkily that he hadn't run a chemical analysis yet but the second officer says he can tell its piss by the smell.
They put her in the third officer's car.
bleh
Later I am called but the phone number shows up 123-4567. I look at it. What sort of bullshit number is this, I say to myself and end the call without answering. I answer when they call back. It's the arresting officer wanting a few more details.
My bad.
Anyhoo....
...that's how I spent my morning. At first I thought she would need assistance when she hit the wall but it soon became apparent it was the general public that needed more immediate assistance.
I was in uniform and for some odd reason that made it feel strange. Called the captain that is my immediate supervisor and apparently he blasted out an email to the entire directorate I work for because I spent the day having people stopping me in the hallways, coming to my desk, and calling me up to ask for the details of the story. Reactions were 1/3 incredulity, 1/3 joking and 1/3 congratulations.
I don't feel like a do-gooder crusader but I'd do it again in a heartbeat. My supervisor has been hit twice by drunks, both times with his family in the car. The first time the car he was in was rolled. The child of family friends riding with them was ejected out of his seat belt and thrown through the convertible top where he landed and sustained a skull fracture.
I hope this chick gets her shit straight before she ends up doing that to some family.
