2nd fatality in six months

A Swainsboro man was killed Monday afternoon in a three-vehicle crash at the intersection of Rosemary Church Road and the Metter-Portal Highway. via Metter Advertiser

[Donna Kirkland]

This is my dad in this picture. He was still in his truck, with fatal injuries in this picture. He had a massive head trauma in this picture. He had other massive trauma injuries in this picture. My nephew was also in this truck in this picture. He was with my dad when this horrific crash happened that is in this picture. He is 15 years old and has not remembered the wreck that is in this picture. HE has not seen this picture, neither has my mother. All I would like to convey to your establishment is this....PLEASE PLEASE when you report this type of news, do it with compassion and heart. Put yourself in other peoples shoes. I am sure if your children were inside of a crushed vehicle, you would NOT like to see it as a newsworthy picture. I am a National Registered EMT-I. I can tell you first hand, it is not hard to tell anyone "just back off for now, out of respect for the family". This picture of my dad being treated and extricated from his crushed and mangled truck was disrepectful to us and especially my mom, his wife of 52 years. Why, just please tell me why, you could not have at least waited until he was not in that truck before you took that picture???? It hurt then, it hurts now, and now all I can think about is that picture and knowing my dad was sitting there. I really and honestly do not want to present myself as rude, but, your reporter, and whoever took the picture, and whoever ok'd the print to go ahead with this, has caused an already unbearable time for us to be even worse. I just wanted you to know, it hurt me and my family.

[sympathetic]

Donna Kirkland wrote:

This is my dad in this picture. He was still in his truck, with fatal injuries in this picture. He had a massive head trauma in this picture. He had other massive trauma injuries in this picture. My nephew was also in this truck in this picture. He was with my dad when this horrific crash happened that is in this picture. He is 15 years old and has not remembered the wreck that is in this picture. HE has not seen this picture, neither has my mother. All I would like to convey to your establishment is this....PLEASE PLEASE when you report this type of news, do it with compassion and heart. Put yourself in other peoples shoes. I am sure if your children were inside of a crushed vehicle, you would NOT like to see it as a newsworthy picture. I am a National Registered EMT-I. I can tell you first hand, it is not hard to tell anyone "just back off for now, out of respect for the family". This picture of my dad being treated and extricated from his crushed and mangled truck was disrepectful to us and especially my mom, his wife of 52 years. Why, just please tell me why, you could not have at least waited until he was not in that truck before you took that picture???? It hurt then, it hurts now, and now all I can think about is that picture and knowing my dad was sitting there. I really and honestly do not want to present myself as rude, but, your reporter, and whoever took the picture, and whoever ok'd the print to go ahead with this, has caused an already unbearable time for us to be even worse. I just wanted you to know, it hurt me and my family.

I know how hard this is from my own experiences. Readers do not even want to see these kinds of images. So what is the purpose?