Live, Lose, Laugh - Part 2

I suffered a serious concussion injury. When the RCMP responded to the accident and saw me at the side of the road, they did not attend to me professionally. Constable F. of the Oceanside RCMP took my driver's license to the other attending constable who said: "Do you smell alcohol?"

"No" replied F. They looked up my license, made a slight attempt to locate the car and failed to do so. At this point constable, F. began LAUGHING AT ME and said "We can't find the car. Are you sure you had a car accident?!!" I was ashamed and shocked as they both stood on the shoulder of the highway laughing at me.

F. continued mocking me as I stood there saying: "Do you want us to call you an ambulance?" in a joking manner.

At this point, the colour drained from my face, I fell to my knees and exclaimed: "you didn't call me an ambulance?!!" and went into a panic, experiencing difficulty breathing. That's when he decided it was serious and called the ambulance. The paramedics showed up, confirmed I was in shock and suffering from a serious concussion and began treating me. One of the paramedics looked for the car and could not locate it.

I was scratched up by the thorns, in shock and suffering from a concussion after being knocked unconscious for an unknown period of time. But, I was aware of what conversations were transpiring.

Right before the paramedics showed up, constable F. (who wrote my ticket) asked if I would take a breathalyzer. I asked him why he wanted me to do one since I'd heard him say he hadn't smelled alcohol. I stated that "sometimes those tests give false readings" and "I don't want to get in trouble for drinking when I haven't been" (because of a machine misread). Clearly, nonsense statements (made by someone with a concussion) and not those of someone thinking with their logical brain. Once the ambulance arrived, RCMP F. wrote me a "fail to comply" ticket, placed it in my purse (which I had miraculously managed to grab from the car) and handed the purse to the paramedic as the ambulance left for the hospital. He didn't give me a chance to take the breathalyzer test once the ambulance showed up or issue me the ticket directly.

I was admitted, hooked up to machines and left for over an hour, alone, in a hospital room without ANY further examination. Then suddenly, an aggressive group of staff came in and demanded I submit to a urine sample. Despite the fact I was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol, exhibiting any signs of being so or taking any medications and have a 0.00% chance of pregnancy as I have an IUD. Nor was it at the request of the RCMP.

They hadn't run any further tests or given me a general exam upon admittance and now they refused to treat me unless I submitted to a urine sample? I come from a religious and family background that is skeptical of 'modern medicine' to say the least. A family that also perceives aggression in situations that do not warrant it as attempts to punish us for the colour of our skin. I chose to discharge myself, reasoning that if they weren't that concerned about my injuries, I would have the same chances on my own.

I went to the emergency room in the Valley where I live 2 days after my accident. I was experiencing extreme electronic sickness (that's a thing), nausea, dizziness, low blood pressure, vertigo, etc. I followed the emergency Doctor's advice closely and I've been making a positive recovery. I did experience a seizure about 2 months after the accident. It was scary. Luckily, it motivated my family Doctor to order a CT scan and blood work.

There are a lot of physical & neurological effects from the accident. There are still days I get a little lightheaded, but it's subsided in severity and frequency as time goes on. I've always been healthy and maintain an active lifestyle with very few toxins.

I will never understand or forget those RCMP officers laughing and making fun of me at the side of the highway. I'm well aware of my rights and responsibilities as a driver. But I'm wasn't aware of them as the victim of a very serious crash and very dismissive police behaviour. I can only be grateful it wasn't harassment without a witness altogether (paramedics arrived on the scene shortly after the RCMP relented to calling them), or violence against me by the police as is all too common in the United States.

I'm lucky to be alive and even luckier to be strong and healthy enough to free myself from the twisted wreckage. I woke up trapped inside a vehicle that was NOT visible from the highway and there were no witnesses to the crash. I would still have been there if I had waited for help. According to the tow truck driver, if I'd have needed help, I'd be dead.