Sunday, June 25, 2017

She screamed in pain

Years ago, I was in the pressbox, covering a race at Darlington Raceway. It was a beautiful day, with a blue sky, and all seemed well with the world.

After the race, I wrote my stories and sent them. Then I left the pressbox, and I wandered over to the gate that allowed fans' cars to cross the track. The gate was open, and people were walking on the track.

There was a woman with her children, and she noticed a ball of rubber that had formed on the track. The ball, about the size of a softball, had formed from the rubber off the race cars' tires.

She said something that I couldn't hear, then reached down to touch it, and I yelled "NO!" She kept going, however, and she screamed in pain when her fingers touched rubber. It made a sizzling noise.

Fortunately, there was an ambulance nearby, and they quickly got her into it. I never heard more about her, but I hope she was OK.

I wish I could have stopped her.

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