“A 29-year-old man was killed Monday afternoon when he plunged more than 80 feet from an Interstate 81 bridge onto a highway below.”
Those are the words that start off the story of this man’s saga as reported in Tuesday’s (Setpember 21, 2010) issue of the Wilkes-Barre Citizens Voice newspaper.
I happen to live near where this man’s life ended and was shocked to see what I saw today. A dried pool of blood, still visible a day later,with some absorbant material sprinkled on it. This is what’s left of life. An unbelievable remnant left behind by emergency responders who should have treated this area and the man’s blood with more dignity.
The article notes, “about a dozen emergency vehicles eventually converged on the area.” Did any of these emergency responders have the common sense to wash the area with water from a fire truck, or sweep up the absorbant material left to dry up the blood?
It appears to me that there is more than just an issue with dignity here. Blood is considered a bio-hazard. I’ve been on cruise ships and in places where body fluids have been exposed and crews in bio-hazard suits come in and do the cleanup. But that’s not what I’m complaining about.
Regardless of the circumstances surrounding this young man’s death, the scene should have been treated with more respect than just some cat litter sprinkled on the ground.
Who is responsible for this? Moosic police? The Pennsylvania State Police? Who? And more importantly, why wasn’t the scene cleaned up properly?
This just seems wrong. Very wrong.