Well, this was one interesting afternoon.
I'm returning to work from Occupational Medicine (messed up my foot a few months ago but I'm ok now thanks.) and was 4th/5th on the scene of a motorcycle accident. Looks like the biker turned left out of a gas station and got sideswiped by traffic. Lots of skid marks. (no pics, sorry) The biker claimed to be ok but was obviously loaded up on adrenalin and possibly drugs as there were several bottles of pills all over the place. Didn't stop to look, just to tell the folks that were messing with him to leave him the f_ck alone and not move him till the ambulance got there. Nothing like turning a simple dislocated vertebrae into a life long paralysis.
Three other folks and myself set up to direct traffic around the wreck (cycle blocked both southbound lands of a fairly busy four lane road). Got the ambulance rolling and police. So it's about 5-10min in the sun trying to get the worlds largest collection of driving skills to merge over into one lane.
Finally the ambulance shows. Then the fire truck.... (time passes) Then finally a police car. One freaking squad car. They don't even come out to check how I'm doing on point but one does walk by looking at the skid marks. I asked for cones and he said, "We'll be out of here soon."
Oh well, it's all for a good cause but you think the police would at least be a >tiny< bit interested in why there are civilians directing traffic. It's not like I was helping out in a parking lot or anything.
Interesting enough, most folks understood simple direction signals. But there were a choice few I would have dearly liked to apply hot lead to.