This week I’ve put my scheduled column aside and have decided to write about the crash on the Taconic State Parkway. I’ll give a very brief synopsis as I’m sure most of you know by now. A woman went the wrong way on the Taconic State Parkway in New York while driving a mini-van full of young kids (two kids of her own and three nieces) and crashed into another car carrying three people. Everyone died except the woman’s son, who was hospitalized. Turns out she had a belly full of alcohol and was stoned. They’re calling it Westchester’s worst accident in 75 years.

I hugged my daughter extra tight last night. I sang her a few extra songs before bed and when she asked me to do rock-a-bye-baby, instead of saying it was too late and time for bed, I sat on the edge of her bed and held her like a baby and sang to her. I didn’t want to let go.

Perspective can come in all sorts of ways. I think this accident has shaken people to their core and reminded them how fragile life is, how stupid some people can be, how important it is to get involved when you see something going terribly wrong and how quickly and tragically life can end.

Personally, I think there are an exorbitant amount of holes in this story. So many things don’t add up. Was it an accident? Was it murder? Why make a call claiming to be disoriented and having trouble with your vision only to return to your car, continue to drive and hurl your phone out the window? I just don’t get it.

What I truly can’t wrap my head around is the pain and anguish of the parents of those three little girls. Imagine the immediate sadness they felt when they learned of the accident. To have included their sister in their tears and sorrow only to learn days later that she was not only responsible for the accident, but drunk and stoned. The anger that their grief must have turned to is unimaginable. I simply can not fathom how anyone can process this.

I’m sure as time goes on more and more will be revealed about what may or may not have happened that day. Regardless, those lives are lost and the world will never be the same again.

As for me I’ll hug my daughter extra long and tight tonight. I’ll give her all the m&m’s she wants and all the Cherry Garcia she can eat. I’ll let her stay up and watch a few extra episodes of Max and Ruby even though I hate that show — I mean seriously, where are their parents? I’ll even let my parents spoil the shit out of her this weekend — as if I have any control there.

I guess I’ll just try to hold onto this perspective for as long as I can… or at least until I get distracted by something, like the results show of So You Think You Can Dance tonight.

Going Parental appears every Thursday at noon. My inappropriate sense of humor appears every day at all hours.

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