When did you first realize how fragile life was?

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We tend to grow up with the "it won't happen to me" attitude. When did you first realize how fragile life was? Share you stories. Were you young, or older? When you first experienced death in your family, witnessed an accident, heard in the news about a rape, killing, abduction, been in an accident... etc My first experience that I can remember was when I was very young. I was in grade 5 and was the youngest bus patroler at my school. We lived in a small town, and big semi 18 wheelers transport trucks passed through our small city streets as we didn't have a bi-pass. Coming through the town we passed one, and as we approached the lights there was a little body lying in the street. The traffic had been stopped and the whole bus full of kids were witness to a dying child. I do not want to be too graphic, but they soon covered his body with a white blanket/sheet, and I remember most the blood being absorbed through it. We were taken to school and our whole bus was put in the library to be talked to. The next day we were individually brought down and told by the councilor that the child had died. They told us that the boy was waiting to cross the road and a semi truck was turning in our small streets/intersection. The back wheels went up onto the curbed and dragged him under. It was my first wake up call. Even though I was young, I lived in a secluded home, in a very small town, the world was dangerous.