Chapter 1: The Accident
The early morning sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon, casting a cool, golden light across the quiet streets of the neighborhood. Selina was out on her daily morning run, the rhythmic thud of her sneakers against the pavement keeping time with the cool air filling her lungs.
As she turned the corner near the main avenue, a sudden, loud crash shattered the quiet morning. Selina halted in her tracks and watched in shock as a dark sedan sped away from an intersection, leaving a silver car crushed against a streetlight pole. The driver of the dark sedan didn't even slow down, speeding off into the distance and fleeing the scene entirely.
Adrenaline surging, Selina sprinted toward the silver car. Sitting in the driver's seat was an elderly woman, slumped against the steering wheel. A deep cut on her forehead was bleeding, and she looked dazed and disoriented as she struggled to stay conscious.
"Hang in there, stay still," Selina said calmly, reaching through the broken window.
She immediately dialed emergency services on her phone. "I need an ambulance on 5th and Main," Selina told the dispatcher. "There's been a hit and run accident. An elderly woman has a head injury and needs immediate medical help."
After hanging up, Selina pulled a clean headband from her wrist to gently press against the grandmother's head wound, keeping her still and speaking softly to keep her awake until the sirens approached.
When the paramedics arrived and carefully loaded the grandmother into the back of the vehicle, one of the medics looked over at Selina. Since the driver who caused the crash had fled the scene, the medics invited Selina to ride along in the ambulance so she could give a full statement to the police officers waiting at the hospital. Without hesitation, Selina climbed in, holding the grandmother's hand as the vehicle sped off into the morning light.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Selina immediately stepped up to assist the attending officers. She gave a clear, detailed police statement, recounting every detail of the hit and run she had witnessed during her morning run to help them track down the fleeing driver.
While the medical team rushed to stabilize the grandmother, the police carefully searched through the elderly woman's personal belongings left in her bag. Deep inside, an officer located a small address book containing an emergency contact number. He placed a call right away, successfully reaching a worried family member to inform them of the situation and request their urgent presence at the medical center.
Shortly after, a doctor emerged to explain that the grandmother needed immediate intervention due to her head injury. Selina watched anxiously as the team wheeled the elderly woman straight into the operating room for emergency surgery.
Determined to ensure the grandmother was fully taken care of before she departed, Selina went down to the administrative desk and settled the initial medical bills out of her own pocket. Once the hospital staff assured her that the family was officially en route and that the grandmother was receiving the best possible surgical care, Selina quietly slipped out the front doors into the morning sun.
