That's an incredible story. Katherine's voice was the last voice Ron heard. Katherine's face was the last human face Ron saw. That, to me, is something to ponder. That's why someone has to have pleasant positive engagement with others. You never know when it's the last rhing.
So true! A powerful reminder that you never know if your interaction with a person will be their last and we should all do our best to be as kind as we can as often as we can. Compliment freely, criticize rarely and love fiercely.
I literally think of this story every time I see someone pulled over on the side of the road. So if anything good comes from this situation, it's that I am so attentive when driving down the road, especially when I notice someone by the side. You have been such a strong woman for so long!
I will never forget the day that the little girl beside my girls died in the nicu. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and her family. Her parents had been there and left a bit after lunch. My mom had been there a few minutes and left around 3:15-3:30. She had been alarming and all of a sudden things were different. Everyone was rushing. I sat there rocking my hays singing how great thou art and I wanted nothing more than to put my girl down and go to this baby. I sat and watched and prayed as I watched her little heart start and stop over and over. Sadly her parents didn’t make it back in time and by 3:45 her little heart just couldn’t start again. It still breaks my heart to this day! As I was going back to my room, I saw her parents in the hallway. I wanted to say something to them so badly and I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to make it worse. But I pray that one day I will find them and can tell them that their precious girl was not alone and was so loved in those moments. I hope they know.
I remember when this happened... my whole family went to your fundraiser concert in Malibu afterward. It must have been a horrible, haunting experience, but I'm glad you're able to share your story! My family witnessed an awful accident that killed a 6-year-old girl right before Christmas just a year or two before this happened. These experiences really stick with you and make you appreciate life even more, seeing how quickly it can be gone 🙏
I can’t believe you were at the fundraiser! Wow. I’m so sorry for what you and your family went through 😭 that is so incredibly horrific and tragic. It really does stay with you.
This story is really touching, you didn't even know the guy. Yet you cared, you felt that anxious, guilty, sorrow feeling that you didn't deserve to feel. May Ron rest in peace. And may god bless you.
I can relate to this story. I witnessed a man fall/jump in front of a train in 2017 and it was so traumatic. Nobody saw him fall but I spotted him on the tracks after the train went past (it was a fast train that wasn’t stopping at our station) in an awful state. It was so heartbreaking as he was still alive but his body was so destroyed he must have been in agony although he seemed to be in shock and not feeling anything. Anyway, we spoke to him while we waited for paramedics then left and I found out later that he passed away. Truly heartbreaking and traumatic. Hope you’re okay Katherine!
I saw a man get hit by a train as well. I was waiting in the car for the train to pass. He had headphones on and didn’t hear the signals. The train honks, he looks to his right, sees the train. I will never forget the panic in his eyes. He tried to run but couldn’t choose the right way to run. He got hit by the train. It looked like a puppet that flew trough the air. The train stopped and other people ran up to see where he was located. I couldn’t leave the car, because I was with my 1 year old. Looking back (and reading your story) it’s better that I didn’t see anything. The police came and told everyone to turn the car around and leave. So I did. Later I read that a helicopter was called to take him to the hospital, so hopefully that means he was/is still alive….
That’s so hard. Idk if you believe In God, the universe, Heaven, the afterlife… but I know for certain that God puts the PERFECT people in our lives all throughout our lives, and he does the same during our last moments. For whatever reason, you were the person that was supposed to be there for that man. YOU gave him what he needed in his last moments. Cherish that always. Don’t focus on the terrible things. ❤
as a daughter of a tow truck driver thank you. thank you for being there for him. I know that if anything like this happened to my father I would seriously truly love and appreciate it someone did this for my father!! you are a strong and amazing woman hands down!!!!
Wow, you are a very strong and caring person. This was very eye opening and I appreciate how much you cared about someone you never met. Most people don’t carry that empathy with them, and I’m so glad that there are people like you who still do. Tell his story for as long as you live because you will carry this event with you forever
I had to put 2 and 2 together; years back, when I first got my license (2017) my drivers ed teacher talked about an accident in California, then when I got home after passing the test the first thing my dad told me (i was leaving for college soon and the city I was gonna move to has a lot of highways, plus the highway I would take driving there) was that if I saw any sort of vehicle on the side of the road to switch lanes if possible or turn on my blinkers, slow down, and drive cautiously next to them, as there had been an incident not too long ago regarding a tow truck driver and an intoxicated driver. Unknowingly, both my teacher and my dad used Ron’s story to teach me such an important thing that can potentially save thousands of lives. RIP Ron, and I truly hope his family, your friend, and you found comfort and healing as time passed by. God bless🤍
Oh my gosh! Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this! This truly means a lot to mean and I’m grateful Ron’s story could be informative and helpful in helping others be safe on the roads. Thank you again!!
Thank you for sharing this with us. In high school, my bus driver died. When the school day ended, I went to the bus, ready to go home, but he was unconscious in the front seat. Everyone went into panic mode. My friend's mom ended up taking me home. When I was home, I ended up writing a poem about it and sharing it on social media. Some of my classmates said that it brought them to tears.
I just looked this story up and this woman only got PROBATION for killing Ron . Thanks for sharing your story, and for being a sweet smiling face in Ron’s final moments. Rest in peace Ron .
Katherine... I witnessed a death but it was a drowning. I was part of the "rescue team" before the EMTs got there. I was a very strong swimmer and on the lifesaving team so I knew what to do. My instinct was just to jump in the water when people were screaming drunk from the shoreline "who can swim?! Who can swim?" I was diving looking for this man with my friends dad in a cold, murky Alaskan lake, raining in the dark... with a crowd of inebriated people watching and trying to help where they could. Two friends of mine got in a canoe and were sounding the bottom with oars trying to find him. I remember the panic when i saw a hat floating and i said "i think i found him!!" And when I reached it ... it was just a hat. My heart sank. We dove for 45 minutes looking for him and even checked under the boat first thinking maybe he was there. Before medics got there, I remember thinking "what's taking so long?! Do they realize someone is drowning?!" When the EMTs got there and pulled me into the boat with purple lips and hypothermia... I remember them telling me "this isn't a rescue anymore...this is a body recovery". I was crushed and so determined to find him. I felt guilty for YEARS that because I couldn't find him... he drowned. It was a boating accident. Boat flipped, hit him in the head and he sunk unconscious to the bottom. They said they found him 11hrs later (WITH all their equipment) and that it took chains and a crane to pull him out of the mud he sunk in to. They said they found him right where we were diving, we just weren't going down far enough. I was 17yrs old and this still gets to me sometimes. I'm 32 now. What made me feel better about it was... I put a comment up on someone's post about my story and his MOTHER recognized the story and commented thanking me for trying and that there was nothing I could do. Hearing from this man's MOTHER was sooooo healing for me. We talked for a while back and forth. I felt like I could finally let go after that. I cant believe it's been 15yrs and I can still so clearly see the boat tipped over and everything floating in the water in the dark. I'm teary eyed writing this. It was one of the worst experiences of my life for sure. Second only to my grandma dying.
Thank you for sharing. Fellow Catholic here. I am so happy God gave you the gift of getting to meet his family. I am so so sorry you went through that though. Prayers for you, Ron, and his family. 😞
Thank you for sharing your experience. One thought I kept thinking as you were telling it, was THANK GOD that you & your friend went up the hill away from the road like your dad suggested. I know you were an adult, but let this be a lesson to your younger viewers that our parents tell us these things for a reason. If the 2 of you had stayed down by the car, the outcome may have been very different😢.
So terribly sorry this happened to you and to him. Your physical reactions recounting this are a classical presentation of PTSD-I hope you’ve found a good therapist or counsellor to speak with about it. There are so many, and finding one who shares your faith is not difficult.
Thank you for sharing this! I am in therapy, but I have never specifically processed this experience. Maybe I will take it to therapy someday soon! Thanks for your suggestion!
@@KatherineCimorelli have you heard of EMDR? Please look into it its INCREDIBLE for processing traumatic events. I cannot even put into words how much it changes things for the better.
Thank you for sharing. I’m so sorry you experienced this. I witnessed a death 5 months ago and it’s still really heavy and fresh for me. I was out one night in May 2022 with my husband at this event downtown in my city in FL, and when we got back to the car we heard gunshots in the parking garage and immediately started the car and tried to flee and on our way down to exit the garage, we found a man who had been shot and was lying unconscious in a pool of his bl**d and my husband and I did CPR and everything we knew possible to bring him back but he unfortunately did not make it. It was healing for me to learn his name and who he was and it’s just so crazy how a complete stranger can totally change your life forever.
Love you “kid.” I’ve always been proud of you, but once again proud of you for being brave and sharing this story and how Jesus works, even in the darkest moments.
First of all I am so sorry for you to experience this traumatic situation. Thank you for open up and share your story and feelings with us. What a beautiful poem. What a beautiful family to include you in there los. We know Ron is in a better place yet. I witness death a lot of times in my life since I was 8 years old and it's never easy or something small. It's a huge thing and that you did was you did shows the beautiful soul of human being you are. I admire you and pray every day for you and your little, beautiful family. I love you Kath!!
Thank you for sharing. I just lost 2 of my brothers in a car accident. They got smashed by 2 garbage trucks on the freeway. This has been the worst moment in my life. They were always spreading the word of God and such amazing souls I don’t understand the whys right now. But I just wanted to say thank you for sharing and being a light, blessings to you.❤❤❤❤❤
As a tow truck driver's wife, and a former tow dispatcher, thank you for sharing your story. It is such a horrific thing to hear about but so much worse to witness! We have lost so many of our amazing drivers in the 25 years that I was in the business. Thankfully My husband and I are starting a business to get out of that industry (well mostly) because of the dangers involved. I know this was awhile ago for you, but please feel free to reach out and let me know if and how my husband and I can help you or the driver's family! Much love to you!
14 months ago... August 13th, 2021, with three flips of a truck and one unforgiving tree, we lost my barely 19 year old niece in the blink of an eye. Our worlds shattered and will never be the same. Kath, remember that you ministering to and praying over this man as he died means you were the hands and feet of Christ. Thank you for sharing such a vulnerable story. And please pray for our family has we continue to figure out life without our Abbie Rose. #forever19
@@KatherineCimorelli, thank you. The blessed with 19 beautiful years of memories but at the end of the day, Abbie Rose belonged to Him. The Lord GIVES and the Lord TAKES. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He lent her to us and He, in His perfect wisdom, took her Home far sooner than we would like. I have had the privilege of speaking with the people there with her while she was trapped in her truck and while she died pretty quickly, I take comfort that she was surrounded by people she knew that loved her and our family. Small town. 🙂 But ach, I miss my #forever19 girl. More than I knew was possible.
@@antonellapuchi9086, thank you. We know the Lord's ways are higher and not necessarily meant for us to understand and we know that she was a born again believer, so we will be reunited with her when the time comes. But ach, I miss that red hair flipping, blue eyes sparkling, sassy attitude displaying kiddo more than anything. My #forever19 girl. 💜
You're really strong, Katherine! That must have been heart-breaking to see all of that! I know, how hard it hits 'cause once I was going home by a train and a woman stood right in front of it, and didn't make it. That's what makes me motivate people to keep living.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. I am an oncology nurse and I watched and witnessed many people dying in my early 20’s as my first job was on a cancer floor. Life is so precious and those last moments with strangers before they departed this world was very intimate. I remember there were times when patients had nobody by their side as they took their last breaths and nurses would cover your other patients so you could sit this the dying patient, hold their hand, play soft, soothing music or even whisper to them your final goodbye. It was such an honor to be part of that.
You're amazing! The poem is beautiful! The best things are written full of emotion. Thanks for posting this I also learned that the hard way with my mom passing away when I was 12, I also witnessed my mom's death and so I learned that someone can pass away a minute after you talk to them. Grieving is a never ending process it will always be there but the first 5 years are the hardest. Sending lots of love!
Oh my, this story is tragic. Thank you for sharing it, as I can see that it is difficult for you to share. A good friend of mine is a tow truck driver, and I am going to pray for his safety this morning. I will pray for Ron’s family, and you as well. I pray you continue to heal from this traumatic event. God bless you. 🙏🏻✝️💕
I’m so sorry you had to witness that. You didn’t just witness a death you witnessed a murder. I saw a death when I was 15. I believe it was a man having a heart attack on the sidewalk. It was so scarring I couldn’t sleep for a week. That was almost 4 years ago and when I think about I still feel sick because of what I had to see. After I saw that we went to Olive Garden for dinner and even the smell of the place now makes me feel sick.
Wow, i have no words for this. You were so young at the time and this could raise in you a trauma for the rest of your life but you're here telling us about and you are so strong for that. I think i only passed for a similar experience this year (and now i'm 26) and i am sure that if i passed this when i was younger i probably would be searching ways to heal the trauma. May God be with you Kath❤
I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I didn't pay attention to the date until i read the title carefully. I was 10 years old at that time and I remember that day clearly because it was my sister's birthday and we had a quincenera and partied til midnight. So crazy that things like this happen all over the world while people are living their own lifes and experiences. 2013 really hits home because i didn't knew that that would be the last year i'll get to see my grandpa
Your story has touched me deeply, I sobbed through this video. I can't even imagine how difficult this must have been, witnessing death it incredibly difficult, but witnessing such a gruesome murder is beyond harrowing to even imagine. I'm glad that in Ron's final moments he got to meet such an empathetic and kind soul like yourself, your grief was not in vain, you deeply grieved the life of a man you hardly knew, and I think that's very beautiful.
I'm so sorry this happened. I'm sure it was hard for you to process after. I hope his family has experienced peace since then. To me though, this is so interesting that this video was recommended to me. I've never seen any of your videos before. My son died on this same day. Feb 11th 2013. I was 18 and he was born at just 22 weeks. I had to hold him while he died. I think about that day very often. I wonder why I needed to see this video. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so sorry you had to experience this - tearing up watching this. But I’m so glad you’ve been able to receive healing from God for it & seen Him in it despite how horrific it was. Thank you so much for sharing. Sending lots of love from Scotland. 💜xx
What a nice story Katherine. I can't imagine what that must have been like and remembering it to this day. I'm happy you had the generosity to create two fundraisers for the family.
I’m sorry you had to go through that Katherine. I feel like people who go through such a thing often don’t give themselves the time to heal and don’t reach out thinking after all they are not the ones who got hurt or lost someone close so they don’t “deserve” to mourn. Thank you for sharing this
Wow, I'm glad I clicked on this video. You are such a pure soul and that poem is so powerful. I'm glad you were able to heal and were welcomed by his family. What a tragic situation...
Thank you for sharing this story. I’m so sorry you had to go through this and it is so inspiring how you used it to make you stronger and didn’t let it take over. You’re amazing
Thank you so so so much for sharing this. I became so emotional hearing you speak. I just started medical school and have met so many patients who were fine last week and are now in grave condition - your message of life being so fragile really resonates with me. Thank you for sharing and I wish you all the best
The guilt you must have felt is unfathomable… I’m so so sorry you had to go through this & witness this… he didn’t deserve that he was just doing his job, Poor guy, that’s truly gut shattering.. may he rest easy & I hope your mentally doing okay now
i remember you talking about this in 2013, except i was a kid back then and didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation. looking back now it's like...i genuinely can't even imagine how traumatizing it must be. really don't know what i would do
are you still in contact with Rons widow? I’m so sorry you had to experience that but thank you for sharing your story and shedding light on many issues on these roadways and how quickly a life can be taken. i wish you a continued positive healing journey. Rest in peace Ron 🫶🏽
Wow I feel incredibly sorry you had to witness a tragedy like this. How brutal. May Ron rest in peace , which he hopefully has … 👼🏼🫶🏼 Sending out love !
I’m so sorry Katherine. This was absolutely heart wrenching; but you are so strong. It brought me back to a horrible accident, although I wasn’t a witness to it like you were so I don’t know how hard that was, but a friend of mine from college had a flat tire on the side of the road. She called the tow truck, the tow truck came, but she was sitting in her car, I still don’t know why she was in her car at this point. But while she was sitting in her car, a car came flying down the highway and hit her car, which made her car hit the tow truck, and she passed away on impact. Again, I didn’t witness it so I can’t imagine what that would feel like but the idea that a life is taken from something as simple as someone driving too fast and losing control, or driving under the influence is very mind boggling. Human life is precious and it can be gone way too soon. Love you Katherine, thank you for sharing ❤
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend Kelly 😔 that’s absolutely devastating and it’s so sad how life can be taken so quickly. Saying a prayer for you and your friend!
So sorry you had to go through that, Katherine. When we are brave and share these heavy life altering occurrences God usually uses them for much good. Lots of good ideas on handling grief and heeding the warnings of parents. Love you in the Lord.
Dear Katherine, I hope you're gonna be okay right now, I'm sorry for what just happened to somebody else to meet you, I'm glad you see the people love you except you're reading the poem, so I love you so much Katherine, I hope you have a good day, I'll see you soon, god bless you and keep you safe and take care. Love, Jared from El Paso, Texas
Thank you so much for sharing this, Katherine. I can't even begin to imagine how traumatic it was, but so glad that you and Ron's family were able to begin healing together ❤
You are so strong! This is something so hard and I can't imagine how this has impacted your life. But I know that you are so strong for sharing this, even after all these yeats, I learned so much from your story, and I wanna thank you for that, because it's really hard to share I can imagine, bu YOU DID IT, SO THANK YOU!! Much love, Lotte from Belgium ♥️♥️♥️
Wow! Thank you for sharing such a touching story. You did such a great job recollecting all the details from such a long while ago. I felt like I was there with you. You are such a kind-hearted person. So glad you were able to find closure by writing the poem, meeting his family and getting to go to his funeral. Everything I would’ve needed to heal had I gone through something so traumatic like that. May God richly bless you for the big, kind heart you have for humanity! 🙏🏼🙌🏼💜🫶🏼✨
Katherine know that god only gives you what he knows you can handle. I work at a personal care home and one year we lost 10+ residents before covid. Its never easy seeing a person pass. Sending you my thoughts and prayers.
How traumatic! I googled Jill Rose and her mugshot is not pretty o.O For anyone wondering, Jill Rose was charged with vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. She was arrested and booked into the Lost Hills station in Malibu around noon a few days later and only two hours later she posted bail, which was set at $75,000...Oh and she avoided jail time during sentencing because prosecutors failed to prove she was intoxicated or knowingly left the scene of a crime. Shocking... Criminal.
You have such a wonderful heart, Kath! I am so sorry that you went through this. You are an amazing strong person and his family will forever be grateful to you and your kindness. ❤
I watched my grandmother take her last breath June 9, 2022. It was horrifying, traumatizing and one of the worst experiences of my life. I was with her for two days straight, the last two days of her life. I can still see the image of her in her hospital bed as she took her last breath. I can still feel the panic I felt when I saw it like it just happened.
as someone (doctor) who witnesses death everyday, I don't have the liberty to process my emotions because nobody wants a doctor to sob cry since there are other patients to tend to! It took a while to just harden my heart, and work and without letting it all affect me. I just make a quick prayer for the deceased and the family.
That’s so much more traumatic that it’s a DUI hit and run. Idk why but that’s so traumatic for me. So much to unpack. I’m so sorry this happened to you. This is so horrific. I am so glad you stayed grounded with Jesus at this time!
When you started breathing heavily while telling the story, I instantly knew the feeling. I get like that every time I recount the day my friend almost died, and the five minutes I thought she was dead. That physical response to the trauma doesn't go away. Here's my trauma dump (warning, suicide attempts and a lot of other difficult stuff): Jay (I'm going to call her that) is a year and a half younger than me. She doesn't have the best support system, so, despite me being fifteen at the time, I played a very parental role in her life. She struggles with a lot of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, OCD, and a dissociative disorder. I knew she had suicidal thoughts and I did my best to get her help. On April 1st, 2022 at around 8:15 am, my entire life changed. I had just walked into orchestra class, and I was taking my violin out of its case. My friend Ellie (not her real name btw, none of these names are) walked up to me and asked to talk. She said that Jay had called her and said that she hadn't made it to school that day, and was instead standing on a bridge near our school that overlooked the highway. The phone call had been cut short when Jay told Ellie that she needed to go and that she was fine. I immediately had a horrible feeling and I told Ellie that we needed to go to the counselor's office to get help finding Jay. I put down my violin and my tuner and we went to the office. I haven't been able to find the tuner since because the details of that panicked moment got all messed up after the fact. We told the counselor and confirmed that Jay still wasn't at school. The counselors decided to go looking for her on the bridge and they asked me and Ellie if we wanted to come along. We said yes. The entire way to the bridge I was panicking. I remember telling the counselors to "look for a little girl in a baby pink sweatshirt or a turquoise winter coat" because Jay wore one of the two every day. When we got to the bridge, the counselors told us to stay near the beginning of the bridge. Then, one on each side, they walked across the bridge while looking down onto the highway. After the fact, Ellie and I both said that the only thing we could think in that moment was that they were going to look off the side of the bridge and see Jay's treasured sweatshirt or winter coat. Ellie called Jay again, but it just rung and rung until her voice played on the answering machine. As the phone rang, I began to have a panic attack, breathing heavily and then sobbing. When Ellie couldn't reach Jay, she started crying too and we just held each other as the world seemed to end. Part of me will always be in that moment I thought that Jay was dead on the highway below us. But then the counselors began walking towards us. And from the other side, back in the direction of the school, the principal and a security guard came to meet us. They told us that Jay had been spotted before she jumped by an off duty police officer who stopped and helped her. Despite the miracle, I still cried on the walk back to the school. One of the adults tried to tell me that it was okay and that Jay was safe. They didn't understand that I was still mentally back on that bridge. As we walked, we passed a small group of elementary school kids, probably about nine or ten years old. They were crossing the bridge to go to school, all in winter coats. I remember looking at them and seeing the striking image of Jay in them, she's small and goofy and she's someone I very much care for as a child figure. That image of the kids walking towards the bridge sticks with me. We spent a few hours in the office at school talking to the counselor. Me and Ellie's trauma response was to start talking together, finishing each other's sentences and telling the counselor stories about Jay and ourselves. It was an odd experience, I've always been close to Ellie and us and our other friends are extremely close, so we basically combined into one person for a few hours which was comforting. Then we went on to the second half of our day, unable to tell anyone what had happened. There were however two other people who knew.They were both close to Jay as well and them and Ellie and I usually worked together to support Jay. I'm going to call them Riley and Hannah. Jay texted Riley and told him that she needed help. Riley didn't have his phone on him though and he missed the text, something he still blames himself for. I can't quite remember how Hannah found out, but she did. She was obviously worried, but she stayed strong to support the rest of us. Sometimes people say that she wasn't as involved in the situation, but that isn't true. A while later I was told that after school she actually rode her bike to Jay's house with a gift and caught Jay's family leaving to go visit her in the hospital. Hannah cried with them in the driveway. She blamed herself for not being able to help, I think she still blames herself honestly. Life felt different after that morning. April 1st also happened to be the day of our homecoming dance. The four of us went to the dance with a group of friends and somehow masked that we had been traumatized hours before. In the sea of partying people in the dark, I held Hannah's hand and we danced and smiled but I could see right through it all when I looked in her eyes. I slept with a shirt that Jay had painted for me for a good two or three weeks after the fact, something I never told my parents. We had to do meetings with the counselors which quickly became upsetting as they didn't know how to handle the situation in a personal way. I spent as much time with the other three as possible, and Hannah and I went to the library almost every day after school just to be close to each other. The two of us managed to find the care facility Jay was at and eventually Jay sent Hannah a crayon letter telling us all how much she loved us and how much she hated the facility. Me and Ellie and Riley told Jay's boyfriend what happened which was really hard. He was twelve at the time and it was a lot. I didn't really tell people, but my memory was affected. Everything was fuzzy, and I secretly was struggling in school because I forgot two units of an AP class and two Spanish verb tenses that we had been learning at the time of Jay's attempt. Eventually, Jay came home. It was amazing and difficult all at the same time. We had to work on a lot of safety plans and I spent a lot of time being angry at Jay's parents who weren't doing enough to get her help. But having Jay was also the greatest thing ever. I will never, ever leave a conversation with her without saying I love you first. Jay is doing so much better. She still has a lot of bad days, but she sees a therapist more consistently now and has a lot of safety plans and medications for her mental illnesses. She was able to begin getting an official diagnosis for her dissociative disorder. She's so brilliant and smart and talented and I'm never going to stop thinking that. We ended having two very emotional conversations after the fact. The first one was at the end of the school year, and everyone cried and told each other how much they loved each other. Jay also shared what happened to some of our other friends and so I was able to talk to my best friend after months of not being able tell him. He hugged me and it was the only time I've ever seen him cry. The second conversation happened a few weeks ago. It was homecoming again and this time Jay went too. During a slow song, she tried to teach me to dance properly, but eventually we gave up. We swayed back and forth while I told her how much I cared for her and loved her. She told me that she almost jumped off the bridge before she called Ellie, but right before she did, she suddenly thought of me and Ellie and Riley and Hannah and her boyfriend and something stopped her for long enough for that police officer to save her. These memories will always affect me. I will never be able to drive over that bridge or look at a highway or Jay's winter coat without thinking of it. Every time I tune my violin or go to a dance or see the shirt she made me, I will think of it. But I will also always think of Jay and how she has pushed through every day to be here with us, how she is so wonderful and loved, and I'll somehow be okay.
@@coopatroopa237 I hope so too ❤ I fight every day to get her the care she needs and for her to understand how much she is loved. She's a wonderful kid and she's growing up into a wonderful adult. She's so creative and caring, and she always thinks about things in the most unique way. She's never not drawing or writing or acting or exploring, she has so much beauty to add to the world.
Thank you for sharing this story Katherine. You and your friend are such an amazing people. I just wanted to reach into the video and give you a big hug ❤
Stay strong girlyyy ❤ I promise its ok iv been threw your pain my uncle died all the way in Florida and my cruel grandparents wouldn't even tell us my dad had to look up and found out he died ngl I miss him he was so funny so I experience death a lot too
this is so heartbreaking! i remember i was having a family get together, when we saw my uncle riding his motorcycle and he had a horrible accident and passed away on the spot. i still can’t move on as a 14 year old girl.
You shared this on my birthday. (Random) I was wondering about your own therapy? I have had EMDR therapy for a traumatic experience and it has been so helpful. The way you described the trauma still being in your body made me think that you might have some final work to do for yourself. Thank you for sharing. 🙏
I’m an emt and I’ve shown up to stuff like that I can’t speak for the medic that grabbed you that day but personally from my experience in that moment where in “work” mode trust me it doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have it hit that medic once he clocked out and went home I started at the age of 19 and that same feeling of asking God for hope and strength and just yelling for something to make sense I know how it is
Our not so newborn needed a highchair. We went to the little store where we got her crib. A little mom and pop type place. A couple of other couples were there. It was along a main street in town. My husband was carrying our daughter as I was testing the ease of use on different highchairs. Like you said, a HUGE noise that immediately registered as a crash. We all ran out. Two men were running away and the other two dads went running after them. I went running towards the crash. My husband had our daughter so he couldn't do annything more than just that. The shop owner called 911 (pre cellphone days too). By the time I got the 25 yards, thereabout, the woman driving was out of her car and had her daughter on the hood and was giving her CPR. I could tell her daughter, age 6 I found out later, was already gone. Every time she pressed her chest, blood poured out of her. Being a main street, the cars had no where to go because this happened right in the middle of the intersection. Thus, emergency vehicles couldn't get through. The guys that were running had just shop lifted at KMart and KMart security had tried to stop them so they were speeding away. They weren't being chased, but you know.... So they ran because they had shoplifted (and those dads caught them). They t-boned the sedan. HARD. It ended up that the little girl was unrestrained in the back seat of a 1970s something sedan. She just hit the back of the bench seat full force, front on. I will never forget the sound of that mother screaming for help as she was doing CPR. CPR was doing no good...not a lick of help. But I told her to continue because I knew instinctively that she needed to "do everything". If not in that moment, in the future. There would be guilt but "at least I did CPR until the paramedics got there". The paramedics pronounced her on the scene. Like I said.... it was clear that she died on impact. That was in 1992. I still remember in detail and technicolor.
Kathrine, I am so sorry you had to go through this experience. Life is so very fragile. I was reminded of Steph Pappas, another TH-camr. She recently lost her dad and family dog to a driver under the influence. Her mom, dad and dog had just left her house after having dinner together. They were two minutes away from her house when her mom called to say that her dad and dog died on impact. Steph said she didn’t believe her mom when she said her dad was gone. She asked about him again and her mom replied, Steph he’s gone, he doesn’t look like John anymore. I can only imagine that is what you had to witness. Those experiences are so horrific. Thank you for sharing your story with us.
That's an incredible story. Katherine's voice was the last voice Ron heard. Katherine's face was the last human face Ron saw. That, to me, is something to ponder. That's why someone has to have pleasant positive engagement with others. You never know when it's the last rhing.
So true! A powerful reminder that you never know if your interaction with a person will be their last and we should all do our best to be as kind as we can as often as we can. Compliment freely, criticize rarely and love fiercely.
@@Jennyhbell The first one was really
So very true!
Amen.
Wow Katherine!! This is so powerful!!!
Hi Cimorelli! 👋🏼💓😊
Hi Cimorelli
I literally think of this story every time I see someone pulled over on the side of the road. So if anything good comes from this situation, it's that I am so attentive when driving down the road, especially when I notice someone by the side. You have been such a strong woman for so long!
Me too. I remember when it happened, and think of this every time I’m driving on a motorway if I pass a broken down car.
I will never forget the day that the little girl beside my girls died in the nicu. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and her family. Her parents had been there and left a bit after lunch. My mom had been there a few minutes and left around 3:15-3:30. She had been alarming and all of a sudden things were different. Everyone was rushing. I sat there rocking my hays singing how great thou art and I wanted nothing more than to put my girl down and go to this baby. I sat and watched and prayed as I watched her little heart start and stop over and over. Sadly her parents didn’t make it back in time and by 3:45 her little heart just couldn’t start again. It still breaks my heart to this day! As I was going back to my room, I saw her parents in the hallway. I wanted to say something to them so badly and I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to make it worse. But I pray that one day I will find them and can tell them that their precious girl was not alone and was so loved in those moments. I hope they know.
I remember when this happened... my whole family went to your fundraiser concert in Malibu afterward. It must have been a horrible, haunting experience, but I'm glad you're able to share your story!
My family witnessed an awful accident that killed a 6-year-old girl right before Christmas just a year or two before this happened. These experiences really stick with you and make you appreciate life even more, seeing how quickly it can be gone 🙏
I can’t believe you were at the fundraiser! Wow. I’m so sorry for what you and your family went through 😭 that is so incredibly horrific and tragic. It really does stay with you.
@@KatherineCimorelli hi Katherine
This story is really touching, you didn't even know the guy. Yet you cared, you felt that anxious, guilty, sorrow feeling that you didn't deserve to feel. May Ron rest in peace. And may god bless you.
I can relate to this story. I witnessed a man fall/jump in front of a train in 2017 and it was so traumatic. Nobody saw him fall but I spotted him on the tracks after the train went past (it was a fast train that wasn’t stopping at our station) in an awful state. It was so heartbreaking as he was still alive but his body was so destroyed he must have been in agony although he seemed to be in shock and not feeling anything. Anyway, we spoke to him while we waited for paramedics then left and I found out later that he passed away. Truly heartbreaking and traumatic. Hope you’re okay Katherine!
I saw a man get hit by a train as well. I was waiting in the car for the train to pass. He had headphones on and didn’t hear the signals. The train honks, he looks to his right, sees the train. I will never forget the panic in his eyes. He tried to run but couldn’t choose the right way to run. He got hit by the train. It looked like a puppet that flew trough the air. The train stopped and other people ran up to see where he was located. I couldn’t leave the car, because I was with my 1 year old. Looking back (and reading your story) it’s better that I didn’t see anything. The police came and told everyone to turn the car around and leave. So I did. Later I read that a helicopter was called to take him to the hospital, so hopefully that means he was/is still alive….
Omg you poor thing!! I am so sorry you had to see that and go thru that!
That’s so hard. Idk if you believe In God, the universe, Heaven, the afterlife… but I know for certain that God puts the PERFECT people in our lives all throughout our lives, and he does the same during our last moments. For whatever reason, you were the person that was supposed to be there for that man. YOU gave him what he needed in his last moments. Cherish that always. Don’t focus on the terrible things. ❤
as a daughter of a tow truck driver thank you. thank you for being there for him. I know that if anything like this happened to my father I would seriously truly love and appreciate it someone did this for my father!! you are a strong and amazing woman hands down!!!!
Wow, you are a very strong and caring person. This was very eye opening and I appreciate how much you cared about someone you never met. Most people don’t carry that empathy with them, and I’m so glad that there are people like you who still do. Tell his story for as long as you live because you will carry this event with you forever
I had to put 2 and 2 together; years back, when I first got my license (2017) my drivers ed teacher talked about an accident in California, then when I got home after passing the test the first thing my dad told me (i was leaving for college soon and the city I was gonna move to has a lot of highways, plus the highway I would take driving there) was that if I saw any sort of vehicle on the side of the road to switch lanes if possible or turn on my blinkers, slow down, and drive cautiously next to them, as there had been an incident not too long ago regarding a tow truck driver and an intoxicated driver. Unknowingly, both my teacher and my dad used Ron’s story to teach me such an important thing that can potentially save thousands of lives. RIP Ron, and I truly hope his family, your friend, and you found comfort and healing as time passed by. God bless🤍
Oh my gosh! Wow. Thank you so much for sharing this! This truly means a lot to mean and I’m grateful Ron’s story could be informative and helpful in helping others be safe on the roads. Thank you again!!
Thank you for sharing this with us. In high school, my bus driver died. When the school day ended, I went to the bus, ready to go home, but he was unconscious in the front seat. Everyone went into panic mode. My friend's mom ended up taking me home. When I was home, I ended up writing a poem about it and sharing it on social media. Some of my classmates said that it brought them to tears.
Your experience, your reaction to the tragedy, is exactly what I would have guessed it to be. Katherine, you are good people.
I just looked this story up and this woman only got PROBATION for killing Ron . Thanks for sharing your story, and for being a sweet smiling face in Ron’s final moments. Rest in peace Ron .
Katherine... I witnessed a death but it was a drowning. I was part of the "rescue team" before the EMTs got there. I was a very strong swimmer and on the lifesaving team so I knew what to do. My instinct was just to jump in the water when people were screaming drunk from the shoreline "who can swim?! Who can swim?" I was diving looking for this man with my friends dad in a cold, murky Alaskan lake, raining in the dark... with a crowd of inebriated people watching and trying to help where they could. Two friends of mine got in a canoe and were sounding the bottom with oars trying to find him. I remember the panic when i saw a hat floating and i said "i think i found him!!" And when I reached it ... it was just a hat. My heart sank. We dove for 45 minutes looking for him and even checked under the boat first thinking maybe he was there. Before medics got there, I remember thinking "what's taking so long?! Do they realize someone is drowning?!" When the EMTs got there and pulled me into the boat with purple lips and hypothermia... I remember them telling me "this isn't a rescue anymore...this is a body recovery". I was crushed and so determined to find him. I felt guilty for YEARS that because I couldn't find him... he drowned. It was a boating accident. Boat flipped, hit him in the head and he sunk unconscious to the bottom. They said they found him 11hrs later (WITH all their equipment) and that it took chains and a crane to pull him out of the mud he sunk in to. They said they found him right where we were diving, we just weren't going down far enough. I was 17yrs old and this still gets to me sometimes. I'm 32 now. What made me feel better about it was... I put a comment up on someone's post about my story and his MOTHER recognized the story and commented thanking me for trying and that there was nothing I could do. Hearing from this man's MOTHER was sooooo healing for me. We talked for a while back and forth. I felt like I could finally let go after that. I cant believe it's been 15yrs and I can still so clearly see the boat tipped over and everything floating in the water in the dark. I'm teary eyed writing this. It was one of the worst experiences of my life for sure. Second only to my grandma dying.
God bless you 🖤
I can't imagine. You did your best. Sending hugs 🤗
My ❤😢
i totally agree and understand how good it is to hear "there was nothing you could do" a police officer said this to me
Thank you for sharing. Fellow Catholic here. I am so happy God gave you the gift of getting to meet his family. I am so so sorry you went through that though. Prayers for you, Ron, and his family. 😞
Thank you for sharing your experience. One thought I kept thinking as you were telling it, was THANK GOD that you & your friend went up the hill away from the road like your dad suggested. I know you were an adult, but let this be a lesson to your younger viewers that our parents tell us these things for a reason. If the 2 of you had stayed down by the car, the outcome may have been very different😢.
So terribly sorry this happened to you and to him. Your physical reactions recounting this are a classical presentation of PTSD-I hope you’ve found a good therapist or counsellor to speak with about it. There are so many, and finding one who shares your faith is not difficult.
Thank you for sharing this! I am in therapy, but I have never specifically processed this experience. Maybe I will take it to therapy someday soon! Thanks for your suggestion!
@@KatherineCimorelli have you heard of EMDR? Please look into it its INCREDIBLE for processing traumatic events. I cannot even put into words how much it changes things for the better.
Thank you for sharing. I’m so sorry you experienced this. I witnessed a death 5 months ago and it’s still really heavy and fresh for me. I was out one night in May 2022 with my husband at this event downtown in my city in FL, and when we got back to the car we heard gunshots in the parking garage and immediately started the car and tried to flee and on our way down to exit the garage, we found a man who had been shot and was lying unconscious in a pool of his bl**d and my husband and I did CPR and everything we knew possible to bring him back but he unfortunately did not make it. It was healing for me to learn his name and who he was and it’s just so crazy how a complete stranger can totally change your life forever.
I'm so sorry you had to witness that, Kath... Ron really WAS a good man.
Love you “kid.” I’ve always been proud of you, but once again proud of you for being brave and sharing this story and how Jesus works, even in the darkest moments.
Love you Katie 💜💜
First of all I am so sorry for you to experience this traumatic situation. Thank you for open up and share your story and feelings with us. What a beautiful poem. What a beautiful family to include you in there los. We know Ron is in a better place yet. I witness death a lot of times in my life since I was 8 years old and it's never easy or something small. It's a huge thing and that you did was you did shows the beautiful soul of human being you are. I admire you and pray every day for you and your little, beautiful family. I love you Kath!!
Thank you for sharing. I just lost 2 of my brothers in a car accident. They got smashed by 2 garbage trucks on the freeway. This has been the worst moment in my life. They were always spreading the word of God and such amazing souls I don’t understand the whys right now. But I just wanted to say thank you for sharing and being a light, blessings to you.❤❤❤❤❤
I’m so so sorry for your loss! 😔
@@KatherineCimorelli Thank you. :)
Katherine, I love how You showed that man and his family your compassion! I love you so much!
As a tow truck driver's wife, and a former tow dispatcher, thank you for sharing your story. It is such a horrific thing to hear about but so much worse to witness! We have lost so many of our amazing drivers in the 25 years that I was in the business.
Thankfully My husband and I are starting a business to get out of that industry (well mostly) because of the dangers involved.
I know this was awhile ago for you, but please feel free to reach out and let me know if and how my husband and I can help you or the driver's family!
Much love to you!
14 months ago... August 13th, 2021, with three flips of a truck and one unforgiving tree, we lost my barely 19 year old niece in the blink of an eye. Our worlds shattered and will never be the same. Kath, remember that you ministering to and praying over this man as he died means you were the hands and feet of Christ. Thank you for sharing such a vulnerable story. And please pray for our family has we continue to figure out life without our Abbie Rose. #forever19
I’m so sorry for your loss 😭 that’s so incredibly heartbreaking. She had her whole life ahead of her. saying a prayer for your family 🙏❤️
@@KatherineCimorelli, thank you. The blessed with 19 beautiful years of memories but at the end of the day, Abbie Rose belonged to Him. The Lord GIVES and the Lord TAKES. Blessed be the name of the Lord. He lent her to us and He, in His perfect wisdom, took her Home far sooner than we would like. I have had the privilege of speaking with the people there with her while she was trapped in her truck and while she died pretty quickly, I take comfort that she was surrounded by people she knew that loved her and our family. Small town. 🙂 But ach, I miss my #forever19 girl. More than I knew was possible.
I’m so sorry for your loss
@@TeeTee-gr4ir i am so so so sorry that it truly heartbreaking and she will forever be missed #forever19
@@antonellapuchi9086, thank you. We know the Lord's ways are higher and not necessarily meant for us to understand and we know that she was a born again believer, so we will be reunited with her when the time comes. But ach, I miss that red hair flipping, blue eyes sparkling, sassy attitude displaying kiddo more than anything. My #forever19 girl. 💜
Oh Kath, I can only imagine how devastating this must have been. You are so strong and I know Ron is looking down on you and is so proud of you. ❤️
Aww I’m so sorry Kath!! You’re so strong to tell this sorry
You're really strong, Katherine! That must have been heart-breaking to see all of that! I know, how hard it hits 'cause once I was going home by a train and a woman stood right in front of it, and didn't make it. That's what makes me motivate people to keep living.
Thank you for sharing this experience with us. I am an oncology nurse and I watched and witnessed many people dying in my early 20’s as my first job was on a cancer floor. Life is so precious and those last moments with strangers before they departed this world was very intimate. I remember there were times when patients had nobody by their side as they took their last breaths and nurses would cover your other patients so you could sit this the dying patient, hold their hand, play soft, soothing music or even whisper to them your final goodbye. It was such an honor to be part of that.
Wow…… I truly have no words. I can’t really explain how hearing this story impacted me… Thank you for opening up about this Kath❤️
You're amazing! The poem is beautiful! The best things are written full of emotion. Thanks for posting this I also learned that the hard way with my mom passing away when I was 12, I also witnessed my mom's death and so I learned that someone can pass away a minute after you talk to them. Grieving is a never ending process it will always be there but the first 5 years are the hardest. Sending lots of love!
Oh my, this story is tragic. Thank you for sharing it, as I can see that it is difficult for you to share. A good friend of mine is a tow truck driver, and I am going to pray for his safety this morning. I will pray for Ron’s family, and you as well. I pray you continue to heal from this traumatic event. God bless you. 🙏🏻✝️💕
I’m so sorry you had to witness that. You didn’t just witness a death you witnessed a murder. I saw a death when I was 15. I believe it was a man having a heart attack on the sidewalk. It was so scarring I couldn’t sleep for a week. That was almost 4 years ago and when I think about I still feel sick because of what I had to see. After I saw that we went to Olive Garden for dinner and even the smell of the place now makes me feel sick.
vehicular manslaughter is not the same thing as murder.
Take it from someone who learned the hard way, don't try to outrun grief. You won't win.
Wow, i have no words for this. You were so young at the time and this could raise in you a trauma for the rest of your life but you're here telling us about and you are so strong for that. I think i only passed for a similar experience this year (and now i'm 26) and i am sure that if i passed this when i was younger i probably would be searching ways to heal the trauma. May God be with you Kath❤
The poem is beautiful Katherine. I felt it so close to me. Thanks a lot for sharing ✨💕
I know that this is Katherine’s side of the story, but I wonder what Skyler’s perspective was. That is heartbreaking.
I'm so sorry you had to experience that. I didn't pay attention to the date until i read the title carefully. I was 10 years old at that time and I remember that day clearly because it was my sister's birthday and we had a quincenera and partied til midnight. So crazy that things like this happen all over the world while people are living their own lifes and experiences. 2013 really hits home because i didn't knew that that would be the last year i'll get to see my grandpa
Your story has touched me deeply, I sobbed through this video. I can't even imagine how difficult this must have been, witnessing death it incredibly difficult, but witnessing such a gruesome murder is beyond harrowing to even imagine. I'm glad that in Ron's final moments he got to meet such an empathetic and kind soul like yourself, your grief was not in vain, you deeply grieved the life of a man you hardly knew, and I think that's very beautiful.
I'm so sorry this happened. I'm sure it was hard for you to process after. I hope his family has experienced peace since then.
To me though, this is so interesting that this video was recommended to me. I've never seen any of your videos before. My son died on this same day. Feb 11th 2013. I was 18 and he was born at just 22 weeks. I had to hold him while he died. I think about that day very often. I wonder why I needed to see this video. Thanks for sharing.
I’m so sorry you had to experience this - tearing up watching this. But I’m so glad you’ve been able to receive healing from God for it & seen Him in it despite how horrific it was. Thank you so much for sharing. Sending lots of love from Scotland. 💜xx
I didn’t know tow truck driving was such a dangerous job. I will always slow down and pull over when I see them now
Whoa. Thank you for sharing Kath. That's so heartbreaking. 💔
What a nice story Katherine. I can't imagine what that must have been like and remembering it to this day. I'm happy you had the generosity to create two fundraisers for the family.
You are very strong, my deepest condolences to His family, and hope you and everyone involved keeps healing ❤️🩹
I’m sorry you had to go through that Katherine. I feel like people who go through such a thing often don’t give themselves the time to heal and don’t reach out thinking after all they are not the ones who got hurt or lost someone close so they don’t “deserve” to mourn. Thank you for sharing this
Wow, I'm glad I clicked on this video. You are such a pure soul and that poem is so powerful. I'm glad you were able to heal and were welcomed by his family. What a tragic situation...
Thank you for sharing this story. I’m so sorry you had to go through this and it is so inspiring how you used it to make you stronger and didn’t let it take over. You’re amazing
Thank you so so so much for sharing this. I became so emotional hearing you speak. I just started medical school and have met so many patients who were fine last week and are now in grave condition - your message of life being so fragile really resonates with me. Thank you for sharing and I wish you all the best
The guilt you must have felt is unfathomable… I’m so so sorry you had to go through this & witness this… he didn’t deserve that he was just doing his job, Poor guy, that’s truly gut shattering.. may he rest easy & I hope your mentally doing okay now
Thank you for sharing this story. You’re so full of love and kindness. God bless you. ❤❤❤
i remember you talking about this in 2013, except i was a kid back then and didn't fully understand the gravity of the situation. looking back now it's like...i genuinely can't even imagine how traumatizing it must be. really don't know what i would do
are you still in contact with Rons widow? I’m so sorry you had to experience that but thank you for sharing your story and shedding light on many issues on these roadways and how quickly a life can be taken. i wish you a continued positive healing journey. Rest in peace Ron 🫶🏽
Wow I feel incredibly sorry you had to witness a tragedy like this. How brutal.
May Ron rest in peace , which he hopefully has … 👼🏼🫶🏼
Sending out love !
I’m so sorry Katherine. This was absolutely heart wrenching; but you are so strong. It brought me back to a horrible accident, although I wasn’t a witness to it like you were so I don’t know how hard that was, but a friend of mine from college had a flat tire on the side of the road. She called the tow truck, the tow truck came, but she was sitting in her car, I still don’t know why she was in her car at this point. But while she was sitting in her car, a car came flying down the highway and hit her car, which made her car hit the tow truck, and she passed away on impact. Again, I didn’t witness it so I can’t imagine what that would feel like but the idea that a life is taken from something as simple as someone driving too fast and losing control, or driving under the influence is very mind boggling. Human life is precious and it can be gone way too soon. Love you Katherine, thank you for sharing ❤
I’m so sorry to hear about your friend Kelly 😔 that’s absolutely devastating and it’s so sad how life can be taken so quickly. Saying a prayer for you and your friend!
Aww I can definitely feel pain. I’m sorry this happened.
I'm so sorry for your loss Katherine!!!!!! I'd love to meet all of the Cimorelli sisters, (Dani included one day)!
I was in a car accident where a 16 year old boy died... It forever changed me... I understand this trauma
So sorry you had to go through that, Katherine. When we are brave and share these heavy life altering occurrences God usually uses them for much good. Lots of good ideas on handling grief and heeding the warnings of parents. Love you in the Lord.
Dear Katherine,
I hope you're gonna be okay right now, I'm sorry for what just happened to somebody else to meet you, I'm glad you see the people love you except you're reading the poem, so I love you so much Katherine, I hope you have a good day, I'll see you soon, god bless you and keep you safe and take care.
Love, Jared from El Paso, Texas
Thank you so much for sharing this, Katherine. I can't even begin to imagine how traumatic it was, but so glad that you and Ron's family were able to begin healing together ❤
Katherine. You seem like such a good person. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you so much Kath for being such an inspiration for me! You are so strong and sweet and powerful 💖
God bless
My husband is a Towtruck driver and out on the road right now. May God watches over him all drivers and anyone that works out there ❤
Wow, thank you for sharing that experience. 💔❤
You are so strong! This is something so hard and I can't imagine how this has impacted your life. But I know that you are so strong for sharing this, even after all these yeats, I learned so much from your story, and I wanna thank you for that, because it's really hard to share I can imagine, bu YOU DID IT, SO THANK YOU!! Much love, Lotte from Belgium ♥️♥️♥️
I remember you guys talking about this on your channel when it happened. I still think about it once in a while.
I love you Kath! Sorry this happened to you. My best wishes to you!
thank you Brooklyn!!
@@KatherineCimorelli No problem! Love you so much!
Wow! Thank you for sharing such a touching story. You did such a great job recollecting all the details from such a long while ago. I felt like I was there with you. You are such a kind-hearted person. So glad you were able to find closure by writing the poem, meeting his family and getting to go to his funeral. Everything I would’ve needed to heal had I gone through something so traumatic like that. May God richly bless you for the big, kind heart you have for humanity! 🙏🏼🙌🏼💜🫶🏼✨
I witnessed my friend dying in a crush too. We were 13. It's terrible I understand what you went through
That is so much to go thru. Thank you for sharing!
Katherine know that god only gives you what he knows you can handle. I work at a personal care home and one year we lost 10+ residents before covid. Its never easy seeing a person pass. Sending you my thoughts and prayers.
How traumatic! I googled Jill Rose and her mugshot is not pretty o.O For anyone wondering, Jill Rose was charged with vehicular manslaughter and felony hit-and-run. She was arrested and booked into the Lost Hills station in Malibu around noon a few days later and only two hours later she posted bail, which was set at $75,000...Oh and she avoided jail time during sentencing because prosecutors failed to prove she was intoxicated or knowingly left the scene of a crime. Shocking... Criminal.
You have such a wonderful heart, Kath! I am so sorry that you went through this. You are an amazing strong person and his family will forever be grateful to you and your kindness. ❤
Yes write down what happened ❤️ I need to do that as well with all of the traumatic things that have happened to me or that I have seen…
Thank you for your courage and vulnerability to share this.
I watched my grandmother take her last breath June 9, 2022. It was horrifying, traumatizing and one of the worst experiences of my life. I was with her for two days straight, the last two days of her life. I can still see the image of her in her hospital bed as she took her last breath. I can still feel the panic I felt when I saw it like it just happened.
The poem is beautiful Kath
Omg Kath! I didn’t know you went though that! I’m so sorry that happened.❤😢
thank you so much! Glad I can share the story cause it changed my life so much.
Can I ask who he is?
I’m so sorry what happened Ron is good place now 🥺💔❤️🩹🕊
That’s scary :( and sad. Trauma forever
i’m intrigued… sorry that this happened. love you kath!!
Who is ron? 😢
as someone (doctor) who witnesses death everyday, I don't have the liberty to process my emotions because nobody wants a doctor to sob cry since there are other patients to tend to!
It took a while to just harden my heart, and work and without letting it all affect me. I just make a quick prayer for the deceased and the family.
Thank you for sharing this✨🙏❤️
That’s so much more traumatic that it’s a DUI hit and run. Idk why but that’s so traumatic for me. So much to unpack. I’m so sorry this happened to you. This is so horrific. I am so glad you stayed grounded with Jesus at this time!
When you started breathing heavily while telling the story, I instantly knew the feeling. I get like that every time I recount the day my friend almost died, and the five minutes I thought she was dead. That physical response to the trauma doesn't go away.
Here's my trauma dump (warning, suicide attempts and a lot of other difficult stuff):
Jay (I'm going to call her that) is a year and a half younger than me. She doesn't have the best support system, so, despite me being fifteen at the time, I played a very parental role in her life. She struggles with a lot of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, OCD, and a dissociative disorder. I knew she had suicidal thoughts and I did my best to get her help.
On April 1st, 2022 at around 8:15 am, my entire life changed. I had just walked into orchestra class, and I was taking my violin out of its case. My friend Ellie (not her real name btw, none of these names are) walked up to me and asked to talk. She said that Jay had called her and said that she hadn't made it to school that day, and was instead standing on a bridge near our school that overlooked the highway. The phone call had been cut short when Jay told Ellie that she needed to go and that she was fine.
I immediately had a horrible feeling and I told Ellie that we needed to go to the counselor's office to get help finding Jay. I put down my violin and my tuner and we went to the office. I haven't been able to find the tuner since because the details of that panicked moment got all messed up after the fact.
We told the counselor and confirmed that Jay still wasn't at school. The counselors decided to go looking for her on the bridge and they asked me and Ellie if we wanted to come along. We said yes.
The entire way to the bridge I was panicking. I remember telling the counselors to "look for a little girl in a baby pink sweatshirt or a turquoise winter coat" because Jay wore one of the two every day. When we got to the bridge, the counselors told us to stay near the beginning of the bridge. Then, one on each side, they walked across the bridge while looking down onto the highway. After the fact, Ellie and I both said that the only thing we could think in that moment was that they were going to look off the side of the bridge and see Jay's treasured sweatshirt or winter coat. Ellie called Jay again, but it just rung and rung until her voice played on the answering machine. As the phone rang, I began to have a panic attack, breathing heavily and then sobbing. When Ellie couldn't reach Jay, she started crying too and we just held each other as the world seemed to end. Part of me will always be in that moment I thought that Jay was dead on the highway below us.
But then the counselors began walking towards us. And from the other side, back in the direction of the school, the principal and a security guard came to meet us. They told us that Jay had been spotted before she jumped by an off duty police officer who stopped and helped her.
Despite the miracle, I still cried on the walk back to the school. One of the adults tried to tell me that it was okay and that Jay was safe. They didn't understand that I was still mentally back on that bridge. As we walked, we passed a small group of elementary school kids, probably about nine or ten years old. They were crossing the bridge to go to school, all in winter coats. I remember looking at them and seeing the striking image of Jay in them, she's small and goofy and she's someone I very much care for as a child figure. That image of the kids walking towards the bridge sticks with me.
We spent a few hours in the office at school talking to the counselor. Me and Ellie's trauma response was to start talking together, finishing each other's sentences and telling the counselor stories about Jay and ourselves. It was an odd experience, I've always been close to Ellie and us and our other friends are extremely close, so we basically combined into one person for a few hours which was comforting. Then we went on to the second half of our day, unable to tell anyone what had happened.
There were however two other people who knew.They were both close to Jay as well and them and Ellie and I usually worked together to support Jay. I'm going to call them Riley and Hannah. Jay texted Riley and told him that she needed help. Riley didn't have his phone on him though and he missed the text, something he still blames himself for. I can't quite remember how Hannah found out, but she did. She was obviously worried, but she stayed strong to support the rest of us. Sometimes people say that she wasn't as involved in the situation, but that isn't true. A while later I was told that after school she actually rode her bike to Jay's house with a gift and caught Jay's family leaving to go visit her in the hospital. Hannah cried with them in the driveway. She blamed herself for not being able to help, I think she still blames herself honestly.
Life felt different after that morning. April 1st also happened to be the day of our homecoming dance. The four of us went to the dance with a group of friends and somehow masked that we had been traumatized hours before. In the sea of partying people in the dark, I held Hannah's hand and we danced and smiled but I could see right through it all when I looked in her eyes. I slept with a shirt that Jay had painted for me for a good two or three weeks after the fact, something I never told my parents. We had to do meetings with the counselors which quickly became upsetting as they didn't know how to handle the situation in a personal way. I spent as much time with the other three as possible, and Hannah and I went to the library almost every day after school just to be close to each other. The two of us managed to find the care facility Jay was at and eventually Jay sent Hannah a crayon letter telling us all how much she loved us and how much she hated the facility. Me and Ellie and Riley told Jay's boyfriend what happened which was really hard. He was twelve at the time and it was a lot. I didn't really tell people, but my memory was affected. Everything was fuzzy, and I secretly was struggling in school because I forgot two units of an AP class and two Spanish verb tenses that we had been learning at the time of Jay's attempt.
Eventually, Jay came home. It was amazing and difficult all at the same time. We had to work on a lot of safety plans and I spent a lot of time being angry at Jay's parents who weren't doing enough to get her help. But having Jay was also the greatest thing ever. I will never, ever leave a conversation with her without saying I love you first.
Jay is doing so much better. She still has a lot of bad days, but she sees a therapist more consistently now and has a lot of safety plans and medications for her mental illnesses. She was able to begin getting an official diagnosis for her dissociative disorder. She's so brilliant and smart and talented and I'm never going to stop thinking that. We ended having two very emotional conversations after the fact. The first one was at the end of the school year, and everyone cried and told each other how much they loved each other. Jay also shared what happened to some of our other friends and so I was able to talk to my best friend after months of not being able tell him. He hugged me and it was the only time I've ever seen him cry.
The second conversation happened a few weeks ago. It was homecoming again and this time Jay went too. During a slow song, she tried to teach me to dance properly, but eventually we gave up. We swayed back and forth while I told her how much I cared for her and loved her. She told me that she almost jumped off the bridge before she called Ellie, but right before she did, she suddenly thought of me and Ellie and Riley and Hannah and her boyfriend and something stopped her for long enough for that police officer to save her.
These memories will always affect me. I will never be able to drive over that bridge or look at a highway or Jay's winter coat without thinking of it. Every time I tune my violin or go to a dance or see the shirt she made me, I will think of it. But I will also always think of Jay and how she has pushed through every day to be here with us, how she is so wonderful and loved, and I'll somehow be okay.
I really hope Jay lives a long happy life
@@coopatroopa237 I hope so too ❤ I fight every day to get her the care she needs and for her to understand how much she is loved.
She's a wonderful kid and she's growing up into a wonderful adult. She's so creative and caring, and she always thinks about things in the most unique way. She's never not drawing or writing or acting or exploring, she has so much beauty to add to the world.
@@MxNEWCASTLE that’s so sweet
Thank you for sharing this story Katherine. You and your friend are such an amazing people. I just wanted to reach into the video and give you a big hug ❤
I’m sorry about what happened.
Stay strong girlyyy ❤ I promise its ok iv been threw your pain my uncle died all the way in Florida and my cruel grandparents wouldn't even tell us my dad had to look up and found out he died ngl I miss him he was so funny so I experience death a lot too
I so sorry about what happened ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🕊🕊🕊🕊🕊
this is so heartbreaking! i remember i was having a family get together, when we saw my uncle riding his motorcycle and he had a horrible accident and passed away on the spot. i still can’t move on as a 14 year old girl.
thats awful
Katherine I'm sooo sorry you had to experience something like that. That's the most traumatic thing anyone has to experience ❤️
Bless your sweet heart. It'll all get easier to understand as life goes on. Thank you for being such a loving human ❤️💗💖💛💕
Kath I'm so sorry to hear this. You're so sweet and strong!! ps do you still keep in touch with Ron's family? Love u. Don't forget to breathe deeply
Your poem is beautiful 💜.
You shared this on my birthday. (Random) I was wondering about your own therapy? I have had EMDR therapy for a traumatic experience and it has been so helpful. The way you described the trauma still being in your body made me think that you might have some final work to do for yourself. Thank you for sharing. 🙏
EMDR is so incredible. I don't know why it isn't more widely known and used!
I would love to see you go into your poetry more. You are so talented and beautiful💜
I’m an emt and I’ve shown up to stuff like that I can’t speak for the medic that grabbed you that day but personally from my experience in that moment where in “work” mode trust me it doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have it hit that medic once he clocked out and went home
I started at the age of 19 and that same feeling of asking God for hope and strength and just yelling for something to make sense I know how it is
Our not so newborn needed a highchair. We went to the little store where we got her crib. A little mom and pop type place. A couple of other couples were there. It was along a main street in town. My husband was carrying our daughter as I was testing the ease of use on different highchairs.
Like you said, a HUGE noise that immediately registered as a crash. We all ran out. Two men were running away and the other two dads went running after them. I went running towards the crash. My husband had our daughter so he couldn't do annything more than just that. The shop owner called 911 (pre cellphone days too). By the time I got the 25 yards, thereabout, the woman driving was out of her car and had her daughter on the hood and was giving her CPR. I could tell her daughter, age 6 I found out later, was already gone. Every time she pressed her chest, blood poured out of her. Being a main street, the cars had no where to go because this happened right in the middle of the intersection. Thus, emergency vehicles couldn't get through.
The guys that were running had just shop lifted at KMart and KMart security had tried to stop them so they were speeding away. They weren't being chased, but you know.... So they ran because they had shoplifted (and those dads caught them). They t-boned the sedan. HARD.
It ended up that the little girl was unrestrained in the back seat of a 1970s something sedan. She just hit the back of the bench seat full force, front on.
I will never forget the sound of that mother screaming for help as she was doing CPR. CPR was doing no good...not a lick of help. But I told her to continue because I knew instinctively that she needed to "do everything". If not in that moment, in the future. There would be guilt but "at least I did CPR until the paramedics got there". The paramedics pronounced her on the scene. Like I said.... it was clear that she died on impact.
That was in 1992. I still remember in detail and technicolor.
Wow 😭life is so scary I trust my God but I am also terrified
Kathrine, I am so sorry you had to go through this experience. Life is so very fragile. I was reminded of Steph Pappas, another TH-camr. She recently lost her dad and family dog to a driver under the influence. Her mom, dad and dog had just left her house after having dinner together. They were two minutes away from her house when her mom called to say that her dad and dog died on impact. Steph said she didn’t believe her mom when she said her dad was gone. She asked about him again and her mom replied, Steph he’s gone, he doesn’t look like John anymore. I can only imagine that is what you had to witness. Those experiences are so horrific. Thank you for sharing your story with us.