12 August 2005

PFYSB

Another scene flight last night.........this one right at dusk.

A 16 year old female lost control of her car after dropping a wheel in a ditch, then rolled several times. She was ejected from the automobile, and in the process of being ejected, her left arm was de-gloved from the elbow to her wrist.
She also had a compound fracture of her left femur.

De-gloving means the skin on her left forearm was pulled from the muscle.
An interesting looking wound!

It takes a huge amount of force to break the femur!
That her femur was broken means her body was subjected to forces you and I don't even want to think about!
Considerable blood loss can accompany this injury, and of course, shock.

Now the question:

IF, she had her seatbelt fastened, how was she ejected from her car?

And the answer?
Come on now everybody..........all at once!


She DIDN'T have her belt fastened!

My title......PFYSB.......comes from a jingle that used to be played on public service ads. If you have heard them, you'll remember the music that went along with the words:

"P.F.Y.S.B.,............please fasten your seat belt...........Thank you!"

I'm continually amazed that folks don't use their seat belts today.
The most serious injuries we see in automobile accidents happen to people that are not wearing their seat belts.

Folks, you could do serious damage to the cash flow of all EMS businesses by doing these three things:

1. Fasten your seat belt.

2. Don't drive after drinking.

3. Don't smoke.

Knowing human nature, I think my job is secure for the foreseeable future.

Don't you?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I will never forget the day in my college health class when the instructor brought up the importance of seat belts. one young woman in the front row raised her hand and said "I don't wear mine. Seat belts kill."

I wonder where she is now.