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Winner, Student, Second Place, 1997

Rollerblade Roll

Robyn Kerr

I couldn’t wait for my cousin Benny to arrive. Benny holds my complete admiration, because he's the best rollerblader I've ever met. He can jump over skyscrapers and do a 360 at the same time. He can skate down 56 stairs on only one skate.

So when his little pink Neon pulled into our driveway, I headed for the closet to get my skates. Benny and I inhaled our burritos and skated into the warm evening air toward downtown Dayton. It was downhill all the way.

We picked up speed as we coasted down Schantz Avenue. Soon we were flying past all the cars. I'd learned my lesson from an earlier scabbed knee, so this time I had on wristguards and kneepads. No worries!

We turned onto Brown Street and passed Ben & Jerry's and the coffee shop. I was desperately trying to keep up with Master Benny Rollerblader. It was such a rush skating this fast! Wind whipped through my hair. I felt so alive.

Benny crossed the street near an intersection. I looked both ways and followed him.

In the next instant a huge impact slammed me into the pavement. Paralyzed with shock, I lay on the ground. I have not just been hit by a car! I thought in disbelief. There were no cars when I looked. Where did this monster come from?

But I had been hit by a Jeep Grand Cherokee going 35 miles an hour. Faces peered down at me from every direction. Traffic stopped. Sirens wailed.

Any minute I'm going to wake up from this too-real dream, I thought.

"What's your name? Where do you live? Can you remember your phone number?" a police officer questioned.

Still conscious, I answered. Then slowly I became aware of my body. My jaw felt broken. I couldn't move my legs. But what frightened me most was the blood dripping from the back of my head.

Images of a deformed face and broken legs flashed through my brain. Would I have a concussion or memory loss? Tears filled my eyes as I thought of what could be wrong.

"Benny? Are you there, Benny?" I whimpered.

Benny held my hand as the paramedics lifted me into the ambulance. They had placed me on one of those straight boards that I'd seen while working as a lifeguard. I never thought I'd be on one myself with my body tightly strapped and my head taped down.

Screaming sirens serenaded us on the way to the hospital.

"This really happened, didn't it?" I mumbled.

Reality check

As they wheeled me into the emergency room, the orderlies talked about normal things. I was horrified! Didn't these people care about the trauma I had just been through? How could they could talk about the weather when I'd almost died?

After sending me for X-rays, though, the doctors found that I had no broken bones. My right arm had big-time roadburn, and my hip had swollen to twice its size, but I was extremely fortunate. The only medical treatment I needed was stitches on my head and a huge dose of pain reliever.

Thankfulness overwhelmed me, numbing the pain. I felt so happy to be alive! By the time my parents arrived, I was laughing at Benny's jokes.

I went home that night with a lot of pain and a lot to think about. I'd heard of other people who'd lost their lives in similar situations. I felt great joy that God had spared my life.

My close encounter with death helped me see my life with new appreciation. Life is fragile. It can be taken away in an instant. Each day is a wonderful gift from God, and it must be lived to the fullest.

Within a month I had fully recovered from the accident. My only reminder is a small scar on the back of my head. The pain is long forgotten, but my new appreciation and joy for life isn't.