The One Who Gets to Help
On December 18, 2017, accountant Dan Konzelman, state of Washington, U.S.A., was on his way to work in Olympia, the state’s capital. The traffic was, as they say, bumper-to-bumper. As he and his passenger, Alisha, motored down Interstate-5 to the south, he saw a train on a track to his right, moving fast. Really fast. Too fast, he thought.
Moments later there was a slow-down, then a rapid complete stoppage of the early rush-hour traffic. Dan and Alisha stopped too, of course. The thought crossed Dan’s mind that there’d been a problem with that over-fast train.
He was right, though he couldn’t see anything yet. Noticing an onramp to the freeway he was on slightly behind him and to his right, he maneuvered his car up it so that he and Alisha were on a rise, near which was a bridge overlooking the roadway. Such a sight as can’t really be described met their disbelieving and horrified eyes.
The brand-new passenger train, on its very first commute, had missed a turn at a terrific rate of speed and thrown 12 cars off the track in various directions. Some were hanging on the trestle, poised above the highway. Several were on the highway, some of them on top of vehicles that had been traveling beneath them. And there were a bunch resting on the hillside between the two. The visual effect was of a fistful of thrown pick-up sticks.
Dan said it was eerily silent. He heard no road noise, no horns honking, and, at first, no cries from the frightened and/or injured. There were no police or firefighters present yet.
He went into action. Running down the hillside he began to approach people clearly in shock, some escaped from the train cars, some who’d been passing by on the freeway below. Then he began entering crushed, jumbled, and some upside-down rail cars, wrapping his hands with his coat so he could clamber through shattered windows. He had to climb a tree to get into one of them.
Help in the form of the police and area firefighters began to show up, and, with them, he continued to talk to, dig around, hold hands with, and walk or carry out the injured.
He says he wasn’t afraid, feeling it “a worthy thing to die helping or serving other people. And if that did happen, I would be OK with that.” He watched the firefighters especially – what they did and what they said. When the day was done, and he’d had a little time to think, he knew what he wanted to do. And it wasn’t accounting.
Dan enrolled immediately in firefighters’ school and now works with a crew in Tacoma, where he lives. Because. “There’s more to life than going to work to make money,” he says. “I wanted to help people and make a difference. . . . You’re the one that gets to go help, and to me, that’s the biggest privilege ever – to be the one who gets to help.”
Jesus said, in John 15:13, “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (NLT; and I’d add, “or for anyone, for that matter, including strangers and enemies”).
I admire Dan and hope my paradigm is the same as his. I’m afraid it’s often not. But I want to be among those whose view is that it’s a privilege to help others, and when opportunity presents, I want to hop to it; I want to be the one who gets to help. I hope you want to be and maybe already are, the same.
Amen!
10 Comments
kimberly blake
Awesome story about purpose and passion… Wish I could find mine.
ckarlstrom
Hang in there, Kim. Your day will come!!
Susie
What a powerful story. I remember when that happened but I don’t remember ever hearing about this young man.
Carolyn Karlstrom
No, I don’t either. I just ran across the story last week and was so impressed with the fellow. Thought others might enjoy hearing about him too.
Marlys Schraven
Wonderful story. I have been though this with Rod. Amtrak and Metro as accidents have happened the anguish he went though with the killed and injured. The first responders are so important. God bless them.
ckarlstrom
I thought of Rod while I was writing this, as I know he’s had experience with these accidents. I really can’t imagine . . .
Helen L. Carlton
This true story reminds me of the recent program I watched on the life of Mr. Rogers. He was an ordained pastor and started a memorable program for children on public television years ago! After 9/11 he started the meaningful term to children on how to handle a disaster: “Look for the helpers!!!” Thanks for posting this story Carolyn.
ckarlstrom
Yes! I love that. And Dan certainly qualifies, I would say. I hope I do too. Thx so much for responding . . .
Sherri
What a feel good and inspiring story this turned out to be! I remember seeing it on TV and thinking that it must’ve been terrifying for all who were involved. However, you’ve provided another dimension to the story. How wonderful that this tragedy inspired Dan to change some goals in his life! It’s so nice to hear something so positive like this in these trying times. Thanks for adding a bright spot to my day!
ckarlstrom
I’m so glad you were blessed by this young man! Of course I was too or you’d not have heard of him – what a gift he is. At the time I lived fairly close to the place this happened, and it was huge news, as you can imagine. I’ve passed under that railroad bridge hundreds of times. And in my wildest dreams I’d never have expected to see a train fall out of the sky. Who would?
Thanks for reading and commenting . . .