The Lucky Ones

It was five in the morning when the patient arrived. She was badly mangled with many broken bones and a collapsed lung. Her face and body were covered with cuts and bruises and she would need a machine to assist her breathing. This was not an unusual scene for me, but as I carried out my duties as a trauma intensive care nurse, a sudden chill ran through me. It was different for this patient. If and when she survived, someone would have to tell her that her car had struck and killed three people.