It's my first night back to work and the phone rings at 3:15 A.M.
I'm so tired I initially incorporate the ringing phone into my dream. I think it rang three times before I hoist myself up on one forearm and grab for it, dropping the receiver to the floor.
"Sorry! Hang on, I'm gettin' there."
Knowing it's gotta be dispatch I try to sound awake...
"Whatcha got?"
"Weather check for B-Ville please. It's a standby for a trauma patient."
A standby. Good. "Let me call you right back."
I jump into my flight suit and go to the bathroom, more to give my head a chance to clear than to relieve myself. After a quick check of area weather I call dispatch and say, "Yeah, we can do it."
"Then your flight is now a go. B-Ville to ******."
In the air we get the report...
"Your patient is a 36 year old female, victim of a rollover MVA, she was ejected. She weighs 170 pounds. She has suffered compound fractures of both wrists, a tib-fib fracture, and possible head injury. She is combative."
Big gal, probably had her bell rung good and is now in "fight or flight" mode. Since she is restrained, her only option is to FIGHT.
The flight to get her is routine but BUMPY... winds 15 gusting to 25 from the South.
She'll need drugs to calm her and keep her from throwing up all over my crew and our aircraft.
As always I shut down the aircraft and walk into the ER after my crew has started tending to our patient. Outside the trauma room I encounter a nurse holding a baby, less than a year old. Our patient fell asleep at the wheel and left the roadway at highway speed, clipping an abutment and rolling her car several times. On board with her are her two children, ages just under a year and 28 months. She is ejected. Somehow the unrestrained children remain in the car and are bruised and confused, but appear unhurt.
What causes folks to drive unrestrained?
Stupidity? Fatalism? "It can't happen to me"?
Whichever, this woman will be away from work for quite some time while someone else tends to her (uninjured, no thanks to her) infants.
Buckle up.
Don't smoke.
Wear a helmet while riding ATV's, motorcycles, or horses.
Don't drive while under the influence.
Put me and my peers out of work.
9 comments:
You know... I don't really care if "you" drive unrestrained. But if you are responsible for someone else how can you NOT restrain them? I mean sure, when I was 6 my parents would toss us in the back of the truck and off we'd go to friends houses but no one had invented car seats yet. Now, there are people that will just GIVE you a carseat for your kids if you can't afford one.
*grumble*
Ya readin' this C&C? You know, the part about the helmet?
Go ahead,tell GB about your "quick" trip to the community pool, without a helmet or ID.
GB -
I'm going to assume the children were properly restrained otherwise I doubt they would've still been in the car.
Why would she secure them and not herself? Stupidity. Plain and simple.
cjh
The Deputy indicated the kids weren't restrained, CJ.
Babies are resilient.
Put me and my peers out of work.
A long time ago, in a state far to the west of where I live now, I had a friend. A really, really good friend.
He was a firefighter/medic, and his second job involved household goods and trucks and me. We were co-drivers for a local moving company. Bummer was, that every time we had a day off, he had a shift to cover, so anytime we could get together and surf, or fish, or just shoot the breeze was a big bonus.
We never spent a holiday together. He was ALWAYS needed, as were all the crewmembers, because of idiots like the lady in your post.
I sure do miss him.
I know I should wear a helmet, but I just really hate the damn things, however It would have come in handy that one day. If they would just give me a heads up on the day I need to wear one, that would be handy. One motorcycle wreck on 30 years of riding is pretty good odds in my favor. I bet if I rode shotgun with you GB I probably would feel way different.
I can tell you this from first-hand experience, C&C-
Your brain can be forced out of your ears.
It is gray in color and has the consistency of jello.
Wear a helmet.
GB -
I read your post originally on the fly and missed that the report said they weren't restrained.
It's asinine. Completely.
I've seen bodies of people ejected from vehicles that then roll over them. You're not going win against a 2,000+ lbs. vehicle. You're just not.
cjh
Maybe you should post a gray matter coming out the ears picture with a graphic warning for those people like my thick-headed brother, C&C.
Since he's not telling the story (he probably doesn't remember it), I will.
He decided to ride his bike to the community pool. No helmet because he's gone 30 years without one, right? And he also did not take any ID. An idiot kid in a white car ran a stop sign. I mean, why should he stop, he was just driving around this same community?
So C&C t-bones the car with his bike. His knee hit the bike's handlebars and he flips completely over the hood of the car and lands on the road. He's laying there in the road, no one knows who he is because he doesn't have his wallet on him either and they get him to talk a bit. Gives them the first 3digits of his girlfriend's number and the last 4 digits of his number. Someone finally realizes the prefix isn't right, tries the area prefix and gets ahold of his son.
He was out of work for several weeks, mainly with the damage done to his knee, but there was definitely some concussion issues.
Then he buys another stupid bike and rides it without a helmet.
Guess you'll stay in business a little longer GB.
Love ya C&C.
Post a Comment