Nurse Kills Police Officer

As many of you have read, Officer William Phillips, age 32, was killed Thursday September 30, 2010 at 12:45 a.m when a vehicle struck his bicycle while he was training with two other officers along U.S. 40 near Knightstown, Indiana. The riders were wearing reflective helmets and gear. The person whose vehicle hit Officer Phillips fled the scene.

It turns out that the person who hit the officer was a nurse who turned herself in to the Greenfield Police Department the next day. She was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death.

What struck me about this matter is that the woman who fled the scene was a critical care nurse. She was distracted as she was trying to keep her 4-year-old son from waking her 15-month-old twins and she hit the police officer. It is sad that the nurse did not stop to help the police officer. It certainly would have resulted in less charges.

What is most compelling to me, however, is how this one second decision to assist her children while driving will affect her entire life. She now is facing criminal charges. She will probably face an emergency suspension by the Nursing Board and possibly lose her nursing license. We all are human and make mistakes but we still need to be accountable for them. Had this nurse stopped and assisted the victim, she may have been able to avoid some of the criminal charges and would be facing less severe charges, and may have been able to save her nursing license.

So, one second can change your life. As humans, at times we go on autopilot or we are reactive to events and circumstances rather than keeping our eye on the task at hand, such as driving. Fewer mistakes would be made if we remember to be present in the moment and conscientious about the task at hand. I know it is easier said than done but in a profession or activity where life is at stake, it is important. www.EmpoweredNurses.org.