Friends, Protect Yourselves!

Today, we had been to a nearby hospital for Mom’s dental treatment follow up. While we were returning an incident happened that shook us to the core.
We were in an auto rickshaw, which was on a main road and to avoid a medium sized car the driver swung left. To avoid the auto rickshaw, the car, which was coming in the wrong direction also swerved on its left hitting someone in the process. I was on the left side of the rickshaw and so did not have the view my Mom had.
Mom immediately told me, “Go and help her.” When Mom says something urgently, then there must be something serious, I know.
I jumped out of the rickshaw and turned around at the same time to see a girl fallen down near her vehicle. When I reached her I got the full view of the vehicle. It was that of a differently abled person! Then my eyes fell on her malformed short legs, which were covered by the legs of a short kids-like salwar.
Before I reached her a couple of men had already reached her. She was trying desperately to get back on to her vehicle on her own, being irritated at her own situation. I could understand that she was desperately trying not to cry and look helpless.
With help already there, I knew that my help would not be needed. Besides, our insensitive rickshaw driver was incessantly torturing my Mom to call me back and she had to do it, because she had told him to go and help her too. Mom couldn’t due to severe toothache. He said that he wanted to go elsewhere at that time.
On the way back, Mom and I discussed the accident. The girl was not wearing a helmet, though we do not know if she was hurt (even a little) on her head or elsewhere for that matter.

Mom told me to take up this incident for a blog-post and request everybody, men and women to wear helmets while driving two-wheelers (in this case 4-wheelers for the differently abled). Wearing helmets is not just enough. You need to wear helmets, which have gone through the right quality checks.
People with small vehicles have a tendency to often think that they can make it through small gaps in between vehicles. This also many a times can result in accidents. So please avoid it.
You have to do this because back home there are people waiting for your return. They maybe your children, even. Take care and protect yourselves, if not for yourselves, for them.