Another Fall - this one Witnessed

It cannot simply be a coincidence.  Two and half months after my own fall, cracking open my forehead, there is another fall.  Except that this time I am on the other side.  Someone falls in front of me, cracking open her head, but not nearly as bad as mine.  This time, I am able to offer some assistance, because of my own experience.  

A fuller version of the incident.  This afternoon I was having lunch on campus with some colleagues.  We were taking our lunch break, in the middle of a course for secondary school teachers on teaching service-learning.  I was just beginning to tuck into my plate of piping hot lasagna, when someone fell forward to the right of our table.  It turned out to be a female student who tripped or slipped on a low ledge, and fell face down on the floor, right between our table and another on the other side.  

At first, I didn’t think there was serious damage.  As the student struggled to get up, I saw blood drops on the floor.  When she turned around, there was blood on her forehead, partly covered by her hair.  I helped her sit up.  I passed her a stack of clean napkins to put on her forehead, to stop the bleeding.  She seemed stunned and scared.  I put my arm around her shoulder and pat her on her back lightly, to calm her down.  The restaurant staff called for an ambulance.  One of my colleagues went to check whether she could get help from University Health Service, which was just around the corner (they were closed).  My other colleagues were also offering help. I told the girl’s friend to take her glasses and her phone.  I also told the girl help was on the way and she would be OK.  Gradually she calmed down.  

After a while a restaurant staff came with an emergency kit.  The staff took over care of the wound on the forehead, and helped her to recline a bit.  I took the opportunity to examine her face.  She had some blood on her face and chin, but no obvious wound.  The blood probably came from her forehead.  Soon medics arrived and took over.  They checked on her, removed the blood-soaked napkins and wiped her forehead.  It was then that I could see the wound was about 2 cm long.  Then medics put her head in bandages, and took her away. She seemed to be smiling by then.  

After the commotion, I went on to finish my lasagna, which had gotten cold by then.  But I didn’t mind it too much.  I trust that the girl is OK and will make a full recovery.

I believe there was reason and purpose behind my own fall.  But I wouldn’t have imagined that, so soon after, I would witness someone else’s fall.  On the other hand, if I had not had my own fall, I would probably be in a very different state of mind when that girl fell, and I might not have been able to offer the help that I did.  

God indeed works in mysterious ways.