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  • DUI

    Well, I learned something today, something very valuable.

    I literally just walked through the door. My friend Cassie and I spent the day at the National Whitewater Center, which was totally awesome!

    On the way home, we passed by a motor vehicle collision. Guy had front ended his pickup truck into the guard rail. The front end of the car was completely smashed in. Cassie said, "Oh, he hit a deer!"

    I asked Cassie to pull over. I didn't see the deer, but I did see smoke coming from the engine, and it was obvious the accident had literally just happened (though neither of us saw the actual collision ourselves). I wanted to check the driver and any potential passengers for injuries, because I did not see anyone at the truck, not even a cop as yet (usually once a cop or EMS gets there I don't stop). So she pulls over. We had to hike a ways back to the scene. I ran part of the way; the accident looked bad and I was worried that if there was an injury, the person would start moving and make it worse.

    On the way we passed a guy who turned and identified himself as a highway patrolman. He asked us to climb off the side of the road to the other side of the guard rail for our safety, which I did. I told him I was a nurse and I was concerned about potential injuries; he said good and seemed glad to have some help.

    When we got to the scene there was a bunch of folks who lived in the homes along the highway searching the grass for passengers; there weren't any thank god. But they said the driver had been ejected. He was the "deer" that Cassie had seen.

    So I ran to where he was; he was twisted on his side, and he was moving and trying to get up. There was blood all around his face on the ground. So I took off a bandanna I was wearing to use as a pressure bandage. No gloves, dammit. We were in Cassie's car (I carry a first aid bag with gloves in mine).

    I immobilized his head and got Cassie and another guy to hold his shoulders to the ground so he wouldn't hurt his neck. That's when the HP man said, "You've got to move him out of the road."

    "We can't move him," I said. "He could have a spinal injury."

    "You've got to move him," the HP man said. "Someone's going to get hit by a car if you don't move him."

    Well, the cop was 100% right, and I was 100% wrong. Scene safety trumps everything else, and I knew that, dammit. I was thinking like a nurse, not a paramedic or a cop, but it was the wrong way to be thinking at that particular moment in time.

    So I said to Cassie, "I have to keep his head and neck in line. Grab his legs, and we need someone to grab his shoulders to move him." Now Cassie is a little thing. She's about 5'2" if that, and weighs about 90lbs soaking wet. But she's strong as hell (she and her husband live on a horse ranch): she grabbed him by the belt, and the front of his shirt and lifted him by her self to move him off to the side of the road while I kept his head and neck stable.

    After that, it was a fight to keep him still on the ground. He was alert, and pretty oriented even though he was very obviously intoxicated. He denied any medical problems or being on any medication, so odds are it was alcohol and not a medical condition.

    I specifically did NOT ask him how much he'd had to drink. I did that for a very specific reason: it was completely immaterial to what I was doing. Knowing that would in no way help me help him. He had a head injury, so I knew to watch for vomiting (he didn't thank god), and for an altered mental status. The only thing I could do for this man was control the bleeding and keep him still until the fire department and medics got there. Investigating the cause of the accident is not my job, and I didn't want to muddy the waters by asking inappropriate questions. I focused on the patient.

    But I did tell the HP man that I thought he was drunk. So he'll get a legal BAC drawn in the ER, and after he's medically cleared odds are he'll be heading to jail with a DUI charge.

    Once Fire got there, they were able to take over immobilization from me; a good thing. My arms were cramping, and my hip was killing me from the awkward position I was in. My right arm was so strained I was having a hard time hold his head still; an issue not helped by the fact that side of his face was slippery with blood (my hands were covered with it).

    So once Fire took over, I asked HP man if he needed a statement or anything else from us. He asked if we saw the accident, we said no. He said, "Thanks. Then there's nothing else I need." We cleared out at that point; it was safer for everyone concerned for us not to stick around and rubber neck once we'd done all we could do.

    I wish I could have gotten pictures of the car. But my hands were covered in blood and I didn't want to get it all over my phone. Fortunately, I had a couple of water bottles in the car, and Cassie and I were able to wash up before getting back on the road. I washed again with soap and water as soon as we got to her place (I'd left my car there), before heading home.

    And that's my exciting tale. Moral of the story: if you stop to help at the scene of an accident, look to your own safety first. There is no need to add additional victims to the list.

    It'll be quite a story for me to tell my senior nursing students in the Fall, when we cover disaster management.
    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

  • #2
    Congrats and thanks on behalf of the man. I know you are a medical professional but I still say that to anyone who helps out a person in need.

    It wouldn't have been so bad if the HP guy was able to block off or warning triangle the approach. But yeah, your own safety first!
    I am so SO glad I was not present for this. There would have been an unpleasant duct tape incident. - Joi

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    • #3
      Quoth Gizmo View Post
      Congrats and thanks on behalf of the man. I know you are a medical professional but I still say that to anyone who helps out a person in need.

      It wouldn't have been so bad if the HP guy was able to block off or warning triangle the approach. But yeah, your own safety first!
      He didn't have anything to do that with, unfortunately. He was not in his patrol car.
      They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

      Comment


      • #4
        My father, for a time, carried a safety-triangle attached to the inside of his boot (trunk) lid. It could be easily removed and placed on the road for that sort of situation.

        The search terms if you want your own "safety triangle kit" or "emergency triangle kit" or "emergency warning kit". Some are in packs of three or four, some sold individually. There are both domestic and industrially priced sets; obviously the industrial ones are expected to be used regularly (by tow truck drivers or ambulances or whatnot), the domestic, once or twice a decade.

        IMPORTANT: asshole drivers will ignore these. Using them means that sensible people will slow down or stop and make a point of going around the problem. But it's only protecting you against being hit by a sensible, caring driver. Not by assholes.
        Seshat's self-help guide:
        1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
        2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
        3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
        4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

        "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

        Comment


        • #5
          In Germany you have to carry a safery-triangle and a first-aid-kit in your car. You'll get a fine, if you don't. Starting next month you have to carry a high-vis-waistcoat as well.

          Sad but true, this stuff can't help with asshole drivers, but it might make just enough a difference for you to survive.

          Once he's sobered up, the drunk driver might appreciate what you did for him.
          No trees were killed in the posting of this message.

          However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

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          • #6
            I'm surprised fire rescue didn't help you clean the blood from your hands. About ten years ago I pulled over to assist and serve as a witness to a crash. A small pick up truck had rear ended a small jeep stopped at a light. I had been in the lane next to the jeep, but still approaching. By the time I was able to get off the road, some well meaning bystanders had removed the passenger. I was able to convince them not to remove the driver until rescue could get there. That settled, I turned my attention to the passenger. I sat down on the sidewalk behind her and did what I could to keep her immobilized and just talked to her to keep her calm. By the time rescue got there and turned their attention to her, I was covered in blood. I had gloves, but my arms and chest weren't protected. So rescue called a helicopter for the driver and got the passenger set to transport by ground. At that point I was giving my statement to the police. One of the rescue crews then turned their attention to me, insisting that I allow them to clean me up. The county also paid for follow up care over the next six months to test for blood borne diseases.

            In the end, neither victim survived. They were elderly women and simply could not recover from the massive trauma. The passenger fought for a few weeks though. The sweet part, even though it was horribly sad, is what the passenger told her family and the medical staff shortly before she passed. You see, while I was talking to her on the side of the road, I had told her my name. She told everybody that she knew she was safe and that it was okay for her to go to heaven because Jesus sent his mother that night to comfort her. Ten years later I still get a a little teary thinking about it, even though I'm not really religious.
            Last edited by mathnerd; 06-23-2014, 05:39 PM. Reason: Dratted phone and autocorrect
            At the conclusion of an Irish wedding, the priest said "Everybody please hug the person who has made your life worth living. The bartender was nearly crushed to death.

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            • #7
              I keep a "bug-out" style first aid bag for these type of things. I am lucky, I never had to use it. It has everything from "pressure-bandages", to Splints, Gloves (obvious), even a Tourniquet (is it obvious the Army had me carry these things. I would even carry a Nasal-Pharinegic Airway if I could find a civilian certification for it.).

              Also, Thank you for being a good citizen and helping your neighbor. I honestly think that people helping each other builds a better world.

              I am surprised that the officer did not stop you from leaving to get you cleaned up. Like Mathnerd said, most places usually do these days.
              I might be crazy, but I'm not Insane.

              What? You don't play with flamethrowers on the weekends? You are strange.

              Comment


              • #8
                I truly hope you don't get blood-borne disease from this, but if you do, please take comfort in that you did so by doing Good Things.

                Everyone who does this stuff is worthwhile and precious.
                Seshat's self-help guide:
                1. Would you rather be right, or get the result you want?
                2. If you're consistently getting results you don't want, change what you do.
                3. Deal with the situation you have now, however it occurred.
                4. Accept the consequences of your decisions.

                "All I want is a pretty girl, a decent meal, and the right to shoot lightning at fools." - Anders, Dragon Age.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Quoth Gilhelmi View Post
                  I honestly think that People helping each other builds a better world.
                  Don't need to qualify this one, you're spot-on, Gilhelmi!

                  My thanks go out also, Sapphire. My wife has all sorts of first-on-scene training that she's never had to put to use, thank goodness. Nice to know that you sort are out there.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Quoth Gilhelmi View Post
                    I am surprised that the officer did not stop you from leaving to get you cleaned up. Like Mathnerd said, most places usually do these days.
                    I didn't want to distract anyone from the real jobs of caring for the patient and keeping the rescuers safe.

                    Soap and water is all I needed, my risk is getting something is actually pretty low. I had water in the car, and it only took us about 20 minutes to get to my friend's house to scrub with soap and water.
                    They say that God only gives us what we can handle. Apparently, God thinks I'm a bad ass.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Quoth Seshat View Post
                      The search terms if you want your own "safety triangle kit" or "emergency triangle kit" or "emergency warning kit". Some are in packs of three or four, some sold individually. There are both domestic and industrially priced sets; obviously the industrial ones are expected to be used regularly (by tow truck drivers or ambulances or whatnot), the domestic, once or twice a decade.
                      In Canada, they're usually sold in packs of 3, since it's mandatory for a commercial motor vehicle to carry 3 of them. A set, complete with storage box, is around $20 at places like Traction and FGI (suppliers of parts and "consumables" for the trucking industry).
                      Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        We were told in our first aid classes to have someone park their car with the hazard lights on at a diagonal back from the crash site. Regardless of whether someone needed moved or not. At least you were trained in moving someone with a potential spinal injury!

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