We've had a bit of an emotional rollercoaster this weekend. After learning the sad news about an employee being shot in Afghanistan, we went to our Friday night company happy hour only to go home and witness another horrible tragedy.
Let me take 2 steps backwards first. This week in our HQ Budapest office we had 2 days of a relocations conference. We had about 40 relocation consultants from our different offices (ie China, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, Bosnia, Poland, etc) in Budapest for a training conference. To help build our team spirit, we finished the week with a company happy hour downtown on Friday night. All visiting employees and Budapest based employees (total of about 100) all met for a very fun evening of drinks and dancing.
We were pleased to have a former employee and very good friend pop in for a short visit / surprise. At 12:30 pm we left in a taxi and took the same route as our friend, Paul Szeman. Within 5 mins we watched his car cross Alkotmany utca and get hit very hard by a taxi causing both vehicles to ricochet and fly through the air. Both of them flipped several times and landed upside down. Our taxi driver immediately stopped (we were within 20-30 meters) and Curt and I jumped out of the car to try and help. Since it happened so quickly and there was so much debris (including a fire hydrant explosion after one of the cars took it out), Curt got confused as to which vehicle belonged to Paul. He ran over to the second vehicle which turned out to be a taxi. He tried to pry off the door to determine if the driver was alive or dead. He didn't manage to get it off but could see that he didn't have his seatbelt on and was sprawled all over. Curt's trousers ended up covered in blood...
While Curt was with the taxi, I laid down next to Paul's car and reached my hand in. Naturally, we both acted without thinking and thought back to how neither of us even looked if there was fire or fuel (ie chance of explosion). If there had been, I don't know if we would have acted differently. I laid on the ground next to Paul's upside down Defender and reached my hand in. Immediately I found Paul's hand which I grasped onto. His car was upside down and he was laying on his back. I assume he didn't have his seatbelt on either as I was reaching my hand in the backseat driver's side window where his hand was sprawled out. I held his hand and remember shouting his name, "Paul! Paul! Paul!" What felt like 10 minutes was realistically only about 30 seconds before I could hear him moan. I asked him if he were okay (of course he wasn't!) and if he could squeeze my hand. I told him I loved him and I told him he had been in an accident and help was on it's way. I just talked and talked and talked without letting my emotions take the better of me. I told him that I wasn't going to leave him and to try and squeeze my hand again. He finally did!! For some reason I asked him if he felt like he were in one piece or in several pieces. I don't know why and in hindsight it probaby wan't the best subject to bring up but I thought I should get as much information as possible before the help arrived. I could hear the sirens getting louder as the fire trucks, police, ambulances all got closer. He replied 'pieces'. I honestly did not think he or the other driver would survive this catastrophe.
By this point Curt had joined my side and was also helping me comfort and talk to Paul. Suddenly we were both being shouted at and being told to get away from the vehicle. I started to argue that I wouldn't leave him but Curt pulled me away. Of course I understand as they had to get to him and help him. I remember seeing chain saws and all sorts of equipment that they were going to use to cut him (and the other driver of the taxi) out of their cars. They were unbelievable and I was amazed at their professionalism, team work, and determination. I think every emergency vehicle and employee in Budapest was at this sight.
When I took a minute to catch my breath, I looked around and noticed about 50 people gathered around watching. I stopped to call home to try and explain to Erika (who was babysitting) that I'd be a while. This was the first point that I lost the plot and started crying. I couldn't speak to her and a nice lady who was out walking her 2 little dogs grabbed the phone and helped me relay my message while her friend handed me a cigarette... At this point it doesn't matter if you smoke or not...
Curt and I gathered our thoughts and our composure and he decided to run back to the party to grab Paul Waller (an employee, long time friend and a best friend to Paul Szeman). I stayed with my taxi driver who tried to keep me calm. We watched them pull Paul out with a neckbrace in place and put him on a backboard. I kept asking my taxi man, Lajos, if he still had his legs. He said yes and said that he had even seen them moving. I just was so thrilled that he was in one piece and still alive! I found the Chief of Police and asked him if we could ride in the ambulance with our friend. This is not something that they allow in Hungary.
Eventually Curt was back by my side with Paul Waller. We learned that both drivers were alive and both appeared to be without any paralysis but may have broken necks or vertebrae (these were the words we understood). They explained that both drivers would be taken to the head trauma center in district 8 and that we should go there to learn more about our friend.
Within minutes we were at the hospital. We arrived shortly after Paul Szeman but before the taxi driver. We watched the taxi driver's ambulance pull up and could see him conscious and in one piece as they wheeled him past us.
Eventually we learned which EMTs brought Paul to the hospital. I convinced Paul W to come over with me to talk with them. They were very kind and also very sad for us. They told me that they were amazed they had both survived and said something that translates into what sounds like, 'They both have been given a second birth'. It was a true miracle.
Paul Waller decided it was time to contact Paul S's wife and brother. He called them both and shared the news and told them it was not life threatening anymore. They were both quickly on their way down to the hospital.
We found the emergency doctor and were relieved that he spoke English and reported to us that they were still undergoing tests but it didn't seem that he had any paralysis but they were still checking on internal bleeding and broken bones. We could hear Paul S screaming in the emergency room and Curt assured me this was a good sign as it meant he was conscious and could feel.
At about 3:30am I went home via taxi while Paul and Curt stayed and waited for Paul S's family and more results.
The outcome is that he is alive and it is a true miracle. He had some bleeding in his brain but they felt they could control it. He also had chipped bones on his vertebrae and maybe a few other breaks and lots and lots of bruises.
While at the scene of the accident I did pull it together to take these 2 short videos.
It made it on all the Hungarian news channels as well as online newspapers like this one. Click on the picture for more photos of his demolished vehicle. The 5th photo is the taxi's vehicle.
Now everyone take a minute to hug a loved one today!
