What I Saw at Scarborough Walmart Restored My Faith in Humanity
And just two days after a shooting in the very same parking lot...
I parked at the Scarborough Walmart parking lot, and felt pretty good about how darn close I was. Scoring a close parking spot is a skill. Anyway, I went into the store, bought my stuff and was walking out to my close parking spot.
I noticed (in Row 2) that a car was blocking the entrance into the row I had scored my spot. Weird. When I walked around the car to get to my car - that's when I noticed it. A man lying on the ground bleeding. There were a few people nearby. It had obviously JUST happened.
We figured that he had passed out and fallen, hitting his head. One man (I don't know where he came from) was in charge and asking the man, who was conscious, the right questions. I hope if I ever fall, he is there. He was amazing. The car parked next to mine grabbed a blanket and towel from her car. Another woman called someone from his phone...all strangers to each other and to the man hurt on the ground.
It took about 10 minutes for the ambulance to get there, but the injured gentleman was never left alone. There were at least two men near him, down on his level speaking to him...comforting him.
He was taken by ambulance to Maine Med...and the small crowd dispersed - it all took about 20 minutes.
But in those 20 minutes, I was amazed at my fellow Mainers. All of them, trying to help. Blocking traffic, comforting, calling...and all were willing to do whatever was needed to help this older gentleman.
It was just two days after a shooting happened in the same parking lot. It truly moved me and put my faith back into humanity.