THE EDITOR, Sir:
PLEASE GRANT me space in your daily newspaper so I may seek and hopefully find a true 'good Samaritan'.
In February of this year, I happened to be travelling on East Road.(adjacent Hagley Park Road), when an accident occurred. Two girls, presumably in their late teens, were crossing the street when one got hit by a van. A crowd gathered in no time and even forced a halt to traffic.
Everyone's concern, "a who a di driva, weh him deh, a di driva wrong, him did a speed".
I myself got lost in all the confusion, plus I was a little bit hesitant to come out of my car. A young man came out of nowhere and started towards the girl on the ground and I assumed that he was a friend or something. He started pleading with the crowd to give the girl some air, while asking the other girl who was by now crying while talking on a phone for some information.
He started to talk to the girl who was not responding, but he did not give up, he asked a old lady who was peeping over her side of the fence for a blanket and just started to give everyone around him orders. He started to examine the girl like only a doctor would which, by the way, did not go over too well with the crowd at the beginning.
Now, as if I was not impressed with all that he had done already, he did the totally unthinkable, asked the driver if he was OK. This, I might add, I have not seen in a long time, especially in places like Kingston where it's dog eat dog. He asked the driver if he could manage to take them to the hospital, and got a few people to help him put the girl in the van before the driver could answer. The driver was still a little bit shaken, but managed to get the van started and off they went. I can still see his face, holding that fragile body in his arms as if he knew the girl, while giving hope to the friend/relative who was travelling with her.
I still drive on that road every chance I get in hopes of seeing him again. I learned that night that they call him 'SHORTY' and that he recently came from abroad. I am pleading with the public out there, if anyone knows this person or if you are the one, please contact me. I know by your actions that you did this not for the reward, but, that doesn't mean that it went unnoticed.
P.S. I am nominating you for 'Good Samaritan of the year'
I am, etc.,
RUBY VALENTINE
rvalent_portmore@hotmail.com
Box 1300, GPO KGN
Jamaica
Via Go-Jamaica
