My Sister’s Accident 1976

My sister was 3 years old when the accident happened. And I was 6 years old.

We were down the street from our house playing with some friends in the back yard. The girl who’s house we were at had a little sister too.  But her little sister was across the street playing with one of our other friends… the two little ones were getting ready to play in the kiddie pool in their side yard.  My friend asked my little sister to go across the street and see if her sister was swimming in her underwear.  Being the older sister, I was responsible for the care of my younger sister and I knew that we were not allowed to cross the street by ourselves, so I went to get the mother of the house we were at.  As I was running to the house, I yelled over to my sister, “do not cross without Mrs XX. Wait I’m getting her”.  Now, maybe my sister didn’t hear me, I don’t know… or she listened to the other girl, I don’t know…. but she started towards the road.   I ran as fast as I could so I could go back to where my sister was to wait.   As I came around the back of the house, I saw my little sister at the black picket fence trying to open the gate.  I yelled to her to wait for me.  She managed to get the gate open and started through the gate to the sidewalk and onto the street.  Just as I reached the open gate, I saw a huge sedan style car come rushing down on my sister.  She was hit and flew through the air to the other side of the street where she landed with her head hitting the telephone pole and to the ground.  My sister was hit so hard her shoes were left in place on the street.  I yelled out to her as loud as I could and started running across the street to her.  I really wasn’t thinking safety for me at that point and came face to face with the grill of another car!!  I remember the car stopping and people yelling…. and I was screaming, “that’s my sister”!  As I turned away from the grill I saw a purple small car coming up on top of my sister!  I got to her just as the car was rolling off of her.  She had tire marks on her face and her jaw looked funny.  She couldn’t move either of her arms and they too looked to be in a very odd shape now.  The lady driving the car was drunk and couldn’t find reverse to completely back off my sister.  She went forwards and backwards a few times before one of the adults got her out of the car and they pulled it off my sister.   A friend’s mom came running over with a big comfy blanket and placed it over my sister like she was in bed.  And then told me to run and get my parents.

I turned to my sister and she spoke to me and called me the special name she had for me.  I told her I was going to get mommy and daddy and that she would be ok.   I started to run down the street towards my house to get my parents.  My grandfather, who had come to stay with us in the summer, was sitting across the street from my house, with another older gentleman, watching all the commotion. My grandfather yelled out to me as I was running towards the house, “what happened Keggie? Did a puppy get hit?”   See my sister was like Snow White…. she had beautiful black hair, very fair skin and blue like the sky coloured eyes.  So, for my grandfather to think she was a puppy… I could see that… we were far enough away and she was little.   I yelled back to him, “No, it’s Susan!  Susan was hit by the car!” I do remember entering into the house and calling for my parents and saying Susan was hit.  My father came down the stair two at a time!  I don’t remember too much after that…. except sitting on the front steps holding my youngest sister on my lap.  She was a baby, almost 2 years old.  I remember staying at the neighbours house, for how long … I don’t remember that.

The next memories I have are of the funeral that we had in Canada… as my sister was buried with my mother’s family in the States.

It's only a BAD DAY if you say it is