It was just about a quarter to 4, when all of a sudden Henderson Ave. was awash with people. They ran from both sides, first from Starbucks Coffee and then from Rico Taco and McDonalds, saying very loud … there’s been a horrible accident – someone please call 911 !
Since I was at McDonalds with my family and heard the collision and then the screams, my first reaction was as a “First Responder” and quickly ran in to the middle section of the road. I first saw a late model - dark colored car that had serious front end damage and one of the cement light standards - which was stationary on the middle of Henderson Ave. - was now completely detached and was stretched across the center of the top hood of the car. No one could have survived.
There was close to 70 people standing on the side walks and about 15 assisting the accident victim and the driver of the car ... a Mr. Lawrence Cha, from Porterville. He was laying across the drivers side and his heard was pointing towards the passagers seat. Both front and rear windows were blown. It was a mess.
Ms Laura Swartout, a Licensed Psychiatric Technician from CDCR was halfway inside the 92 Nissan when I came to help. She was doing your basic first aid and talking to Mr. Cha. She made sure that no one moved his body until the ambulance arrived. She continued to utilize her nursing skills and protocol for a possibly brain injury -- asking the basic recall questions as she monitored his vital signs and respirations.
How do I know all this ? I was there waiting to assist Ms Swartout in the event she needed help with CPR or to help her evacuate Mr. Cha from the vehicle.
It’s now 5 till 4 and the ambulance arrives along with 5 to 8 police cruisers. They quickly took over the scene and escorted the first responders away from the accident. And there’s a huge crowd of folks watching and yes … praying for Mr. Cha. I would guess that before the Post had left the scene, there were about 200 people watching and praying.
It wasn’t his final destination.
Annie Clifford, one of the very first to see the accident, stated to the Post, “I was coming out from work, to go home and I notice a car speeding really fast and went off on to the medium, and drove down it {from west to east}. I don’t know if he was driving down it to keep from going down the other side {of the on coming traffic}, but I knew he was going to hit the poll. Once he hit the poll, he spun in a circle and then the poll hit on top of him.”
The Post asked Ms Clifford, Do you think he was stuck on the center divide ?
“I think he was stuck but if he would have went off he would have hit someone else. It did look like something happened to him in the car, because he was going so fast and was going straight for the poll. I don’t know if he was trying to not hit anyone else, but he must have known he was going to hit that poll.”
It’s now 5:30 and the Post was able to catch up with the Cha family outside of Sierra View Hospital. I told the family that I was there at the scene and tried to help their father.
The Post asked if their father's condition was stable and they said ... " he told us 'his chest did hurt and so did his lips'." They also said, "they are happy that he’s alive and not hurt that bad. The car can be replaced … It’s just a material thing.”
We told them that we had heard reports from people that their father, Mr. Cha was driving a little erratic. And they told the Post, their father said ... "he did have problems with the accelerator and maybe it got stuck and he’s glad that no one else got hurt."
All I could tell this Hmong family, when I visited them outside the emergency room at Sierra View Hospital, was he must have had a huge guardian angel watching over him and GOD wasn’t ready for him yet. I told them that many people were praying for him at the scene and it was clear that it was not his time.
And then the Post prayed with the Cha family – just outside the emergency room.
GOD is Good – All the time !
(Mar 30 2008) - 
