by Mckayla Holson, Editorial Editor
Patience is something that I feel is such an important trait in people.
It tends to make life easier and it can even save lives.
Nobody is patient at every single point in their life, everybody gets aggravated about something.
A common situation where people lack patience is when they’re driving. I’m pretty sure we’ve all had a little bit of road rage at some point.
It’s when the lack of patience turns into someone taking an action to “relieve” the stress that problem tend to arise for surrounding people.
I get so angry sometimes when I see some of the things people do while driving. I am by no means a good driver, but I try to do my best.
It’s whenever people run stop signs and pass in no-passing zones that my anger rises the most. Or even if people are in a passing zone but still choose to pass unsafely.
I’m going to tell two stories. They are separate incidences, but they are deeply entwined.
A guy I went to school with years ago, what feels like decades almost, his family and others around him feel the effects of impatient drivers.
His name is Ty Mackey.
Ty was driving his motorcycle to class at OSU when a dump truck ran a stop sign and pulled out in front of him. Ty ended up hitting the bed of the truck with his front fender and the force threw him and his motorcycle into the truck and rear tire.
Ty was a junior at OSU. He had a job and he is in the Army Reserves.
It was a long time ago, but I remember Ty as the kindest person you could ever meet. He always had a big, bright and shining smile. I remember him being funny too.
Ty spent two months at OU medical and then went to a rehabilitation center.
The accident happened on September 4, 2019 and he finally got to go home December 30, 2019. Ty’s battle is far from over though. He is currently 100% assist and requires 24-hour care and assistance. He still needs surgery to replace his skull on the left side of his head, he has a PEG tube, limited use of the right side of his body and he’s still confused.
As I said, I knew Ty a long, long time ago. I highly doubt he ever remembered me, but you can never forget a person as wonderful as Ty so I never forgot him. I followed his story on his mom’s Facebook page, that’s where I learned about everything, and I still check it every now and then just to see if there’s an update on his condition, just hoping for positive news and improvements.
Unfortunately, I have another heartbreaking story to tell you that popped up on my Facebook feed.
Ty’s girlfriend Bethany Myers was in a wreck and died January 9. A jeep attempted to pass a semi in a no-passing zone and hit her head on.
The arteries to Bethany’s heart were essentially shredded. That means there was no blood flow. Her pelvis was crushed, her femur was broken and she suffered injuries to her brain shaft. She fought, but the damages were too severe. Yet another impatient driver made a selfish decision and impacted the lives of people forever.
I didn’t know Bethany, but I read the kind words people said about her. From their words, she was just as amazing and inspiring as Ty.
Bethany worked three jobs and was attending Redlands Community College as a nursing student. She helped Ty immensely when he was recovering. From what I learned, she was a kindhearted woman who loved life and worked hard.
The world is cruel place sometimes and life is also unfair and cruel.
Selfish people made reckless decisions and forever impacted the lives of two great people. You can’t change my opinion of those people being selfish, you can’t spin it any way that would make what those people did not selfish. They were impatient and didn’t care about the consequences of their actions.
I’m sure the drivers feel awful about what they did, but that doesn’t excuse their wrongdoings.
I just ask that everyone relaxes and stays patient. Too many times I’ve seen impatient drivers barely scrape by from an accident. Last year alone I’ve seen so many people fly through the crosswalk with the lights flashing while people tried to cross. Drivers who could wait thirty seconds for people to safely walk across the road. I’ve seen so many vehicles try to pass somebody only to barely swerve back into the correct lane and narrowly avoid an accident. Just be patient. Please.
If you decide to pass unsafely, run a stop sign or anything like that, then you are being selfish. You have no right to essentially take someone else’s life into your hands.
It makes me so incredibly sad and frustrated to think about the fact that one day someone else’s actions could take my life.