Not what we want to hear

In beginning another “Why we do it” blog yesterday, we heard a call come over the scanner…

“Perrysburg Township Station 1 and Life Squad 1, take a pedestrian struck…”

A child had been struck by a car on Reitz Road and Life Flight was already taking off. Photojournalist Craig Picklesimer and I rushed out the door, hoping it was just an overreaction.

But I grew up in Perrysburg Township so I knew, barring the chance that it happened inside the trailer park, any pedestrian struck on Reitz was going to be a bad call.

On Michigan at Jefferson in downtown Toledo, we see the helicopter headed south. At the same time, my phone starts ringing — car accident at Lewis and State Line with a person trapped.

We had to decide which to go to, and we only had a few blocks to make up our minds.

A minute of discussion later, Craig and I decided we ought to head to Perrysburg.

At the scene

We pulled up to a still-active scene; Life Flight had just taken off with a little 8-year-old girl strapped to a backboard. But paramedics weren’t done, as they were treating members of the family and witnesses for apparent shock. Some people relied on others’ shoulders to be able to walk to the life squad.

This is the point where I begin feeling like dirt. Dozens of eyes, young and old, had been focused on the rushing emergency crews, the flashing lights — now, they’re focused on us.

To my surprise, no one got upset we were there. I even had the chance to interview two wonderful people, Sandra Schroeder and Theresa Smith, who both jumped in to help out; Sandra used to work at a nursing home and performed CPR alongside a volunteer firefighter who happened to be driving by.

Both said a lot of the kids at the Village Green Mobile Home Park had a tendency to play a little too close to the street, but didn’t expect this.

Why we do it

So why would we show up, cameras in hand, to shoot this misery? Parents crying, shaking, hugging. Witnesses barely able to stand, forced down by the weight of the terrible scene that just unfolded before them.

We don’t want to see it again — that’s why we cover it. Accidents happen and, no matter what anyone does, that won’t change.

But if you watched the story last night — regardless of the channel or interviews or specific details — you get the gist: a little girl playing tag near the street got hit by a car.

If you saw the story and managed to drive anywhere since then without thinking about the video you saw on TV — the truck, the emotional witnesses — I wouldn’t believe you. The story has its own impact but, with the video, it resonates with you, the viewer.

So whether you took a blind turn just a bit slower, or reminded your kids to stay away from the street, or — as Chris Henderson, photojournalist at WTVG put on his Facebook status after work — you gave your kids a hug and told them how much you love them, it’s done good.

Good from bad — that’s what we strive for.

All that said, our reasoning is nothing without true sensitivity. Some reporters and photojournalists are better at this than others. Off the top of my head, I can name at least three people I’ve had to or nearly had to apologize for after heartless behavior at various scenes.

But, as with any job, there are folks who just won’t get it — and give the rest of us a bad name.

In 99% of the cases, though, we’re not ghoulish, blood-thirsty, ambulance chasing carnage addicts — it may come across that way, but we have our reasons.

But wait…

Do we get excited for breaking news like this? I won’t lie, yes, I get an adrenaline rush — just like police, firefighters and paramedics.

For me, that’s part of the thrill of the job — trying to safely get to a scene to get the best video, either before all the other stations show up or getting as close to the action as I reasonably can. For me, it’s part of my passion for this industry and the effect of growing up with first responders as parents.

Do I hope things like this happen? Absolutely not.

I don’t want children to get hit by cars just so I have a story. But it does happen — and when it does, I want to be there to share the story of the emergency crews, the witnesses, the good samaritans, and, yes, sometimes even the family.

If one person is safer because they saw the story, it’s justified to me.

Still have questions about this? Sound like a cop-out? Let me know. Comment below and I’ll address any responses.