last weekend when i was up in salem, a local male cop "R" got into a fatal car accident in next town over, while off duty. while R (the cop) survived, the accident took the life of an 82 year old woman.
i've known R for over 15 years now. while we didn't always get along, he always seemed to be a stand up guy. two years ago, when MA (another local cop) was shot to death - R was standing right next to him. R and the whole PD took the loss very hard. we all did. (i dated MA briefly in high school.) it was truly sad, with him leaving behind a wife and 3 young children (none of them were over the age of 5.) his wife is still struggling with the loss of MA. she truly loved him; he was the love of her life. wife & other jc cops have set up a foundation for MA and she goes on retreats with other wives who have lost their husbands, she participates in many pba events, etc. all along, many of the PD have been beside her the whole time....one of these people was R. (after the whole incident with MA being shot, i reach out to R to see how he was....he called me a day later at midnight to see if i wanted to take a ride with him....just to talk. he was heartbroken over the incident, it seemed surreal to him.....we hung out in a park & talked til 3am.)
last week, when i read the news upon my return from salem, i was devastated. is the emergency services unit of JC cursed?! i tried to reach out to R, he didn't respond, but he's had a concussion, trying to fight off the newspapers, etc. i understand how/why he hasn't responded. i texted a mutual friend today to see how R is doing. he advised R is home for 6 weeks with some bruises and broken bones. he has no recollection of the incident. what mutual friend suggested is that MA's wife should go public, and stand behind R. public needs to know that R was not some jerk-off cop, but a stand up guy. i tell mutual friend that i am not that close to wife, but i will mention it to her. i originally hesitated cause i thought the accident would hit too close to home for her. mutual friend insists that it is appropriate and that R has been there for wife all along, and now it's time for her to be there for him. i understand. i send off a message.
i have no idea what happened that day with R... i do know he has always tried to do the right thing. he has always been a good friend to our mutual friend. he has been there for wife. R was not drinking/drunk during the accident. i feel badly that that woman died. it is a shame. the whole incident is a shame. i just hope R can find some peace.
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