My wife and I were driving on South Geddes Street not long ago, heading toward Interstate 690, when we came upon an afternoon vehicular accident that had apparently just happened. An SUV was stopped in the middle of the street, showing significant damage on one side, while a banged-up car that had also been involved was pulled over along the curb on nearby Bellevue Avenue.
We could see the drivers in their vehicles, both still behind the wheel, seemingly in that stunned just-after-an-accident-and-in-disbelief frame of mind. Some motorists had already pulled over to help, while others circled warily around the SUV, which blocked much of that crossroads. The situation seemed fresh and potentially chaotic. As we passed through, with no easy way to stop, we immediately called 911.
I’m doing my best here to remember the subsequent conversation — it was hardly a place or time where we were taking notes — but the 911 call taker quickly asked us, as you’d expect:…