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@beanpie
I confess to nearly killing a pensioner.
Whilst recovering from an ACL reconstruction early last year I had to make my way to the local hospital by bus. I was wearing a full brace and could not bend my leg past a few degrees, which generally meant having it out pretty much straight all the time.
On the bus home I got fed up with people quite clearly (I was watching them) not bothering to watch their feet before kicking my leg. I was concerned that someone would kick me a bit too hard and damage the graft. Since I hadn't been able to leave the house for the last 2 months, I didn't fancy starting over again, so I took protective action.
I placed one of the crutches along the length of my leg, resting the tip next to my heel so as not to create any more of a hazard than my outstretched and clearly non-functioning leg. I took the view that anyone who tripped on my crutch deserved it for recklessly putting my health at risk.
That is...until a pensioner spotted her stop and, of course, tripped over my crutch/ leg. I immediately felt bad as a couple of passengers rushed to help her up. From my sitting position right next to her head I was the only one who could hear her pleading with them to stop pulling her arms cos it was hurting her arthritis. Guilt overpowered self preservation and I squatted on one leg to left her by the torso whilst instructing the others to stop pulling at her like a rag doll.
Guilt magnified 1,000,000x when I looked at her white hair and noticed a red spot about the size of a tennis ball and realised she'd cracked her head open. The passengers helped her off the bus, into the butcher's as he'd seen the whole thing.
I still feel pretty bad, but I couldn't have taken another re-construction and another 2 months in the brace. Perhaps she should have looked where she was going, and PERHAPS she simply couldn't see. Who knows, I've stopped trying to work it out.
on with fire resistant pants