Life In Eureka

Two, among many other things, go on in Eureka each day: Traffic accidents and fights. No different than anywhere else, I guess. I tend to miss much of it, except for what I read in the paper.

Yesterday was a bit different. For one thing, I got to witness... well almost witness, a horrible traffic accident. As curious as I was as to what exactly happened, for what seemed like one of the rare times neither of our daily papers featured a Traffic Accident Of The Day story, neither the Eureka Reporter or Times- Standard covered this one.

Sure, I've seen a few fender benders in my time. We have them right here on the corner of Trinity and E Streets on occasion, but they're usually far and few between and seem to come in cycles- one happens and then maybe two more in the same month- or so it seems. This one kinda got to me cause one of the principals appeared badly hurt.

So, I'm coming out of Rite- Aid in Henderson Center and I'm about half way to my truck in the parking lot. Out toward the intersection of Harris and E Street I hear a muffled THUMP. I thought that it sounded like a car hitting something but not car vs. car as there was none of the screeching tires or that sickening crunch of metal.

As I look up I saw what looked like plastic or fiberglass flying over the tops of the other cars in the parking lot. I knew something got hit. When I reached my truck I could see what happened: A car had hit a guy riding one of those moped/ motorscooter things. His scooter was laying next to him just outside the center of the intersection. He was curled up on his side.

I remember looking at all the other people near the intersection about that time and everyone seemed shocked. It was touching to see a number of people, perhaps eight or so run to the aid of the injured man. Not much they could do but provide moral support.

I noticed a car parked just east of him in the left lane of Harris and the windshield was cracked from the impact. He must have flown up and over the car.

Finally, what I assume was the lady driving the car, came back and pulled her car to the side of the road. She seemed unfazed, at least from what I could see. I don't know who was at fault there but, after getting involved in something like that, I think I'd be a bit shook up. She sure seemed to handle it well.

I've seen the victim nearly every day riding his scooter south on E Street. Something went horribly wrong in his life yesterday? I wonder if he made it. I left as the ambulance got there.

Just goes to show how quickly life can change for all of us. While that happens probably every day in Eureka, at least we're lucky to live in a place where people are generally quick to come to your aid.
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So I get home and a couple hours later I'm out in my garage. Once again I get to become involved, albeit from afar, in another common activity in Eureka: Domestic disputes.

The neighbors on the other side of the street, a couple houses south of us have been fairly disruptive since they moved in a few years ago. One thing or another over the years, with more than their fair share of arguing and yelling at each other out in front of their house.

Yesterday, it almost went a little further with probably eight to ten of them pushing and shoving at the front porch of the house. Profanities all over the place at each other and all. One kid, who appeared in his early twenties, rips his shirt off and starts motioning for an older guy to bring it on.

I'm almost amused by it, almost hoping it would get really violent so it would get to the point where some of them would end up in jail for a while. No luck.

After about five minutes they seemed to calm down and the younger kid and a friend eventually drove off on their motorcycles.

I'll never understand people like that. These people seem to argue and threaten each other all the time. I'm not sure who lives there and who doesn't cause there's so much in and out there. I would think a normal person wouldn't want to deal with all the hostility, day in and day out and would find somewhere else to live or hang out.

Apparently these aren't normal people, at least by my standards. But, they probably are becoming more the norm for what we'll be dealing with in Eureka as the productive people leave the county, and more and more of the riff- raff move in.