It was raining, so I gave my little neighbors a ride home. They appeared to have crossed the street, but a little one was behind my car. She dropped her bookbag and was on the floor with it for some reason. I backed up, slowly, and I ran over her little foot. She screamed. Oh man her scream. It keeps playing in my head. She’s apprerently fine, her foot is a little swollen, her mom took her to the hospital and we haven’t heard anything yet. They aren’t sueing us, not yet anyway, and they seem to understand that it was an accident. I can’t explain how bad I felt. I wanted nothing more then to hug somebody. How I wish it never happened.
Ah geez, that’s horrid, how awful for you. I’m glad to hear the little girl is okay, and I know I’m certainly not the only one who can share a similar story about the time a parent backed over a foot when we were kids, I’m sure she’ll be just fine.
{{{{{{teemingONE}}}}}
I can easily see how that could happen to anyone in that situation. She is going to be fine and things could have turned out much, much worse. It will just be one of those stories she remembers for a while. Don’t beat yourself up.
When my mother and her brothers were young, they went outside one morning to wave goodbye to my grandfather going off to work. Everyone was waving while he was backing out of the driveway when they all saw it at once. My 2 1/2 year old uncle David was directly behind a back tire. My grandfather backed right over HIS HEAD with a 1950’s car. His head and face were a little deformed for a day or so but he bounced right back with no permanent damage. If he can make it through that, then your little neighbor will be just fine too.
Stuff happens. I’m sure the little one will be fine. Don’t take it too hard.
We’d just moved into a new neighbourhood a few years back. One evening we decided to head up to the mall to do a little shopping. It was December and already dark out. The boys, aged seven and nine, were playing around in the front yard while we got our coats. The next thing I knew, the older one was running in the door yelling that his brother had been hit by a truck.
He was fine. Just a bruised hip and a bit shaken. What he’d done was actually run into the side of truck, a slow moving pickup driven by an elderly neighbour. The kids had been chasing each other and he’d run out into the street. The poor driver was more shaken up than the kid was.
A couple of days later, the gentleman showed up on the doorstep with a whole book of McDonalds certicicates for the kid. Needless to say, they were gratefully accepted, although we should probably have been apologising to him!
It can happen to anyone.
teemingONE I’d normally make a wise-ass comment here but I know how hard this can be. I accidentally hurt one of my younger brother’s friends once - he was totally OK but it tore me up.
You didn’t mean to hurt him. Unfortunately in this world “shit happens”. It’s not your fault. It’s OK to not torture yourself here, you didn’t do anything wrong.
I feel so bad for you, teemingOne . It wasn’t your fault and it was just one of those things, but terrifying for you nonetheless.