Tuesday, August 23, 2011

First Day of School and Lawsuits (not overly related)


The kids successfully completed their first day of school for the 2011-2012 school year today.  Woo hoo!  The all came home tired, but happy. I met Ian and Zoey at the door with shouts of 'Oh my babies!  My babies are home' and then grabbed them in a tight hug and smothered their faces with kisses will they screamed and wiggled away.  Thank goodness their entry thru the door was staggered so I could smother them equally.  In fact, there was such a delay that by the time Zoey got in the door Ian was free so she had no idea what was coming.  Molly got a more grown-up greeting.  After all, she's in fifth grade now!   I even reenacted the scene for Daddy tonight at dinner with Ian as my example. 
We are working on getting ourselves into a routine for the new school year.  There have been a few tears tonight just from exhaustion….it’s been a long day.  I myself have a killer headache.  I’m not treating it because I’d like to take a sleeping pill tonight and I don’t like to double dose on medication.  I’ve slept, since the accident, courtesy of Mr. Sleeping Pill.

I happen to think that’s normal.  We saw a horrific tragedy.  It sticks with you a bit.  But I watched on the news today that a group is getting ready to sue.  It’s not someone who was injured, or lifted debris off loved ones, or ran for their lives…..it’s a lawsuit by people like myself in the grandstands.

Really?  And yes, I’m getting on my soapbox here and I fully acknowledge that not everyone will agree with me or share my point of view….but really?  I don’t doubt there is emotional trauma.  I’m right there with you (see above sleeping pills) but is it to the point where one sues because they were a witness to a horrible tragedy?  Bad things sometimes happen and sometimes there are people who witness said events….this is life.

My understanding is – and please note that I am NOT a lawyer – but that there is a cap on how much can be awarded in a lawsuit resulting from this kind of event.  So, again, assuming I understand this correctly, every dollar awarded to someone such as myself is a dollar that cannot and will not go to those who were on the dirt track, those who ran for their lives, those who lost their lives, those who lost a loved one, those who lifted the staging to pull someone out, those who crawled and handed injured people to others to form a human chain to get people to medical care.  In my view, and let me stress that this is MY VIEW, those folks - the injured and the families of the dead - are at the top of the list of the 'right to sue.'

Count me out.  So I currently have to take a sleeping pill and still break into random tears, yes, the video they keep showing brings back that sound….that sound of so many people all screaming at once.  But I walked away with my husband who I can’t imagine living without.  I WALKED out on my own two legs.  I grieve over every life lost but I didn’t know any of them personally, I didn't beg for them to hold on, I didn't scream for an EMT.  I wasn't a mother who literally threw my child towards saftey.  Yes, I witnessed a horrible tragedy but my name won’t be on that lawsuit.  Save that money for people like Andrea. 

I started following her family’s blog a few days ago.  If you are inclined, if you will….pray for her, her family, and other survivors like her.

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