thats why I am not a good Samaritan.... you wanna let your boyfriend/husband beat you up, screw you. And I say that because it is not likely the first violent domestic squabble they had.... I will call the police, but even the POLICE will tell you, the most dangerous senerio is a domestic.... If the trucker had tried to restrain the man, the woman would have put a knife in his back.... K
I think it depends on the situation. In this location, I probably would have made a phone call (911) from my truck, or sent a quallcom message to have dispatch do it. If I feel like I can somewhat safely do a good deed, I will do the right thing and try to help a situation. If I die, well, at least I died trying to do something good.
That's the kind of thing you expect to occur in the town of Espanola. It's a dump. When my dad was in HS (graduated 1965), he was on the football team at Bloomfield HS and they played Espanola HS. They beat the pants off of them. The coach had planned on spending the night at motels but the team had to be escorted out of town by the local PD because all the drunks and gangsters were throwing beer bottles and rocks at the bus as it left the football field. The town hasn't changed much since then. The best part of driving through Espanola is when you're on the other side.
Well that's one town that won't make my list of places to visit. On a serious note, it's probably true that that wasn't the first fight they had and I feel for the trucker's family that was left behind.
Exactly, I have a responsibility to feed my family, not protect some woman, who was obviously in a long standing violent relationship. K
I am happy to report that the two truck drivers that stopped to help were not physically injured. The man that was killed was a local man, Michael Rutkowski, just running errands with his wife. Unfortunatly the reporters say he was a hero because he "tried and died". I bet that his family always thought he was a hero just for who he was. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. As for the truck drivers....I am married to the first truck driver (Brian) that saw the pregnant girlfriend on the side of the road. He called out on his radio to his coworker, driving the next truck behind him. Brian and Ronnie (an EMT) both left skid marks on the highway trying to stop their trucks close to her. She was able to run to Ronnies truck just in time. Brian got out of his truck and remembered his phone was on the charger. He got back in and called 911. As Brian was running to Ronnies truck he saw Branchs truck coming toward Michael, striking him and tossing him in the ditch. Brian then saw Michael's wife getting out of her SUV to go to Michael. Brian grabbed her and pushed her back in the SUV and as he got in behind her felt the wind off of Branchs truck making a pass at them. In my view Branch was just trying to get rid of wittnesses! He has even gone as far as getting a marriage license signed by him and the girl he ran over on May 3, 2007. Am I missing something??? Branch is not to have contact with victims or witnesses! The system is failing all of us agin, if they have been allowed to communicate. Meanwhile my husband has been taken off of work, by his Doctor, for post tramatic stress. (We are trying to get his employers assistance as they do not think this qualifies as work comp.) He just cant face getting back behind the wheel of his truck not knowing what he will be faced with over the next hill. He saw something that he just can not understand and can not get the images out of his head. I have been a stay at home Mom since Brian began truck driving. He is gone 5-6 days a week and we feel someone must be available for the children. Now we are struggling to pay our bills and put food on the table. I do not want to sound like I am whinning as each day I praise God for giving me and my children one more day with Brian. Saddly something Michaels family did not get. Id just like to know who is going to be held accountable for allowing Branch to wander our community .knowing good and well of his violent nature.
I am so sorry for what you and your husband are going through. I can only hope and pray that the company does see this as workmans comp. and that he, and you are able to get past this terrible tragedy. It is a good thing that there are still people willing to help someone in trouble. That woman would likely be dead had your husband not acted so quickly to help, and call others for help. Best of luck getting past this difficult time in your life. FF
From a newspaper article: "Less than one week after Christopher Branch allegedly ran over his pregnant girlfriend in a drunken rage, the couple filed for a marriage license. A marriage application was received in the Rio Arriba County Clerk's office May 3, signed by both Christopher Branch and Contessa Salazar. According to police, Branch, 23, of Rio Chama, knocked Salazar to the pavement by the side of Highway 84/285 April 27 before running over her abdomen with the front tire of his truck. She got up and clung to a street sign while Branch drove around her in circles, witnesses said. Branch then allegedly rammed Michael Rutkowski, a Medanales resident who had stopped to help Salazar, according to police. Rutkowski was struck by Branch's truck and killed instantly. Salazar suffered a broken leg and her baby survived the attack, according to police Michael Rutkowski III, the eldest son of the murder victim, said he and his stepmother Araceli Rutkowski heard about the couple's wedding plans when they arrived back in New Mexico after funeral services in Connecticut." Article continues but I can't post a link. roadrunnerswife, I am so sorry to hear how your husband, you and your family have been impacted by this tragedy. I used to work as a Victim Advocate/Program Manager for a Victim Service Center. What your husband is going through is certainly natural under those circumstances. I just wanted to let you know that there are Victim Advocate offices in most jurisdictions (through the police, state attorney's office, county offices, etc., depending on the jurisdiction). They may be able to help you. Each state also has a Victims Compensation Fund which may provide financial support for counseling, lost wages, etc. Please let me know if I can help somehow or if you have any questions. Take care.
