Traffic stopped.
A truck up the road in a ditch; steam coming from under the hood.
Farther up the road another vehicle sits sideways.
Whatever happened I just missed witnessing it because people are only now stepping out their stopped cars. All of this is oddly familiar and I pull over, turn off the car, take the keys and head to the truck.
Glass. Mud.
The driver's door is jammed against the mud in the ditch and the passenger side door is locked.
The driver is unresponsive and we can't get in. Another Samaritan trods through calf deep mud to the driver's side. The window has been blasted out and there is still power to unlock the other door. We open the door and then bend it beyond it's hinges to get better access. She is still unresponsive but breathing. The way she is slumped in the seat she needs to be moved to her back or she might not have a clear airway. We work her onto her back and she immediately aspirates to we lay her on her side.
A woman knows CPR and is in the cab of the truck. We all decide that we will leave the driver in the cab unless she stops breathing.
The victim's entire life is strewn about the truck; her shoes, her purse, her phone among the glass and puke and blood.
End of day traffic is still driving behind us because there are no emergency personnel on the scene. I go to a mental place I once lived in as a career and give firm but clear directions to others to control traffic from making a bad scene worse.
The 911 call was made minutes ago and already sirens are in the distance. It's amazing how helpless you feel waiting for more qualified people to show up. All we could to for this unconscious woman was keep her airway open and check her pulse.
The ambulance is on the scene but there still aren't enough emergency personnel for both sites and I am back at the truck helping secure her onto a backboard and right onto a stretcher. Aside from stabilizing her neck they don't wait too long to head to the hospital.
I walked back to the car after thanking the woman who checked vitals and the guy who went through the driver side door.
Why...
I got out of the car because it is instinctual. Go to where help is needed and do your best. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I've seen people die who I've tried to help while others have survived. I sleep better at night knowing I tried.
Maybe the world is only going to be a better place when helping one another becomes more instinctual and we strive to lift one another up in all circumstances - not just life or death.
A truck up the road in a ditch; steam coming from under the hood.
Farther up the road another vehicle sits sideways.
Whatever happened I just missed witnessing it because people are only now stepping out their stopped cars. All of this is oddly familiar and I pull over, turn off the car, take the keys and head to the truck.
Glass. Mud.
The driver's door is jammed against the mud in the ditch and the passenger side door is locked.
The driver is unresponsive and we can't get in. Another Samaritan trods through calf deep mud to the driver's side. The window has been blasted out and there is still power to unlock the other door. We open the door and then bend it beyond it's hinges to get better access. She is still unresponsive but breathing. The way she is slumped in the seat she needs to be moved to her back or she might not have a clear airway. We work her onto her back and she immediately aspirates to we lay her on her side.
A woman knows CPR and is in the cab of the truck. We all decide that we will leave the driver in the cab unless she stops breathing.
The victim's entire life is strewn about the truck; her shoes, her purse, her phone among the glass and puke and blood.
End of day traffic is still driving behind us because there are no emergency personnel on the scene. I go to a mental place I once lived in as a career and give firm but clear directions to others to control traffic from making a bad scene worse.
The 911 call was made minutes ago and already sirens are in the distance. It's amazing how helpless you feel waiting for more qualified people to show up. All we could to for this unconscious woman was keep her airway open and check her pulse.
The ambulance is on the scene but there still aren't enough emergency personnel for both sites and I am back at the truck helping secure her onto a backboard and right onto a stretcher. Aside from stabilizing her neck they don't wait too long to head to the hospital.
I walked back to the car after thanking the woman who checked vitals and the guy who went through the driver side door.
Why...I got out of the car because it is instinctual. Go to where help is needed and do your best. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I've seen people die who I've tried to help while others have survived. I sleep better at night knowing I tried.
Maybe the world is only going to be a better place when helping one another becomes more instinctual and we strive to lift one another up in all circumstances - not just life or death.
1 comment:
This post was amazing Rich! It totally gave me chills, I always wondered how I would respond if I came upon something of the nature. I can say, I don't honestly know, but everyone is safer in this world knowing there are men and women out there, like you, who would instinctively do exactly what was done! So, proud of you!
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