Letter to the Editor: Applauding the courageous

Posted on January 31, 2008

Yesterday I was on the scene of the car accident on campus.  I was the first EMT on scene, and I just wanted to give credit to the bystanders who helped out so selflessly.

I was on a bus farther down the road when we stopped at the accident and the bus driver let us off the bus. When I saw what had happened there were already three or four other people surrounding her and covering her with their jackets.

It is one thing for someone who is trained to help when they see this sort of thing, but something completely different when untrained bystanders have the courage to come forward.

The students who donated their coats and sweaters to keep her warm, the woman who was holding her hand, a bus driver who came to the scene to help, those who were comforting the devastated driver and a student helping me take the patient’s pulse—they are all anonymous heroes who jumped to action. 

The courage that it takes to try everything you know how to help someone in need, especially when you are unsure of how to help, is nothing short of heroic. I am proud to say that I am a part of this JMU community, a community where I have found some of the most compassionate people I have ever met, especially in the face of tragedy.

Melanie Roshto
junior health science major