Road accident - assistance with SF L1

I make sure I stop and render assistance after witnessing 2 road accidents where passerby stayed away while no one calls for ambulance.

This evening I saw a motorcyclist sprawled face down in the middle of the busy expressway after being sideswiped. She was in great pain. Told her to remain in position and quickly got out my backpack so she can rest her head on it. Like ghouls, passing vehicles would slow down taking a sloow look, unaware they are holding up the ambulance. Then I remember my ever reliable Surefire L1 inside the backpack. Took it out and use it to marshal traffic.

The ambulance finally arrived and again I have to use the flashlight to marshall traffic while the medics maneuver the stretcher towards the victim with traffic flowing around us.

The traffic police were not at the scene yet. We need to move the crashed bike to the road shoulder to avoid the growing traffic jam. The flashlight is used again to stop traffic this time.

My job as good Samaritan was done. I rode home concentrating on traffic and trying to keep my mind off about what I just witnessed. Then I remember the backpack I left behind and had to chase the ambulance going back to the hospital. The backpack contained a camera and a gps unit. Fortunately the ambulance crew had my backpack.

I decided to wait to find out she is okay. Met her parents and reassured them. This is my contribution and I hope we always carry a powerful edc flashlight and be a light to the world.

James

Re: Saved a life tonight with my light!

Tankahn, that's an amazing story! You need to send that one to Surefire!! It's amazing what most passing vehicles won't/don't do when something like this happens, it's rather depressing. My hat's off to you.

Re: Saved a life tonight with my light!

defloyd77 said:

Tankahn, that's an amazing story! You need to send that one to Surefire!!

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+1

Submit your story to Surefire. That was a great job you did there.

It's amazing what most passing vehicles won't/don't do when something like this happens, it's rather depressing. My hat's off to you.

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I recall when my car was totalled.... while I was in it. A young Black couple in an older Nissan Maxima stopped to help me. He checked to see if I was okay, while she called 911 for me. I was alright, but took me awhile to realize it. A couple of other cars stopped to see if I needed help. When they saw I had help already, they drove on. But many folks honked their horns in frustration since my car ended up on the side wall of an exit ramp. (Not blocking the exit, but some drivers had to take their time going up the exit ramp). It's as though they expected me to lift up my car and just toss it out of the way for them.

Sad to say, but the parents would be making arrangements with a local funeral home; if it hadn't been for tankahn getting involved.

Re: Saved a life tonight with my light!

I've moved some posts and made this into its own thread - the story deserves it.

That was fine thing you did, and courageous too - it is a dangerous situation when vehicles are passing close to you after an accident like that.

good job.

i hope to always have a light and never need one.

Very nice story we need more people like you.


Mono, living in NYC like you I see this all the time and it makes me sick! You can have an over turn and people will be yelling out the car window "lets $%^#ing go already" meanwhile 6 cars down someone is pinned in the vehicle. I can only pray if I was in a vehicle accident(or anything for that matter) people would not just pass and say to themselves "heh, someone else probably called 911 already" and contine driving like a lunitic.

I got a Mustang stuck in 6 inches of snow.

I waited an hour and a half for someone to come get me and 100 + trucks and wreckers just drove by.

..idiots. All of them.

Great story! Thanks for sharing and doing what you did!

It's amazing how people would just drive by and not help when they see an accident.

to Tankhan --


Thank you for helping a person in need.


Probably saved their life by doing so. :thumbsup:



Best of Luck (and health) to you and your loved ones.

:goodjob:

_

Thanks for sharing tankahn.. the world needs more people like you! :thumbsup:

Kudos to you for a very fine deed. You might have prevented further collision. A classic case of Flashaholism saves Lives!

Cosmo7809 said:

Mono, living in NYC like you I see this all the time and it makes me sick! You can have an over turn and people will be yelling out the car window "lets $%^#ing go already" meanwhile 6 cars down someone is pinned in the vehicle. I can only pray if I was in a vehicle accident(or anything for that matter) people would not just pass and say to themselves "heh, someone else probably called 911 already" and contine driving like a lunitic.

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The couple stopped to help right after the accident took place. I was very fortunate. I'd like to think that if they weren't there, someone else would have done the same. Still, I'm glad I'll never know what would have happened if they weren't at the right place at the right time.... April 10th, 2008 at about half past Midnight on the start of that day. They were most likely coming back from a date. What a way to end a romantic evening....

Thanks for your help.

Just as a cautious note for future situations, if the patient is breathing, has good circulation and has a good airway, don't remove the helmet or move the patient's head/body at all (comfort be damned in these situations). One of the first things EMS does is take two people to carefully remove the helmet and then place a rigid collar on the victim to make sure the spine is immobilized. It can be tricky to do this with a motorcycle helmet, especially.

I've responded to a few road-side incidents myself and the first thing I do is assess the patient. After this, if everything else is ok, it's head stabilization time, and I don't allow the patient to move until I get backup on the scene. Granted, I've had formal training on this subject.

The reason I say this (not to freak you out) is that people have been sued in similar circumstances. Of course if she moved herself onto your backpack, then it is her fault completely.

I don't want to discourage you at all, I just want to let you know what has been going on in litigious America.

Stay safe out there;
Mercaptan

Wow, a very fine compassionate thing you did, Tankahn! She should marry you!

Very impressive thing you did sir. I hope I will be as fine as you when I grow older, or at least, drive a car.

Thanks for the tip. I was mindful of that too. My friend related to me how he became quadrapelgic after a freak diving accident when his friends moved him. The backpack was an inch thick at the base so I could just slip under the victim's face.

Last year I had a bad motorcycle crash in Thailand. Few people stopped to help and I remember forever the man who helped me get to the hospital. Just returning the favor.

Mercaptan said:

Thanks for your help.

Just as a cautious note for future situations, if the patient is breathing, has good circulation and has a good airway, don't remove the helmet or move the patient's head/body at all (comfort be damned in these situations). One of the first things EMS does is take two people to carefully remove the helmet and then place a rigid collar on the victim to make sure the spine is immobilized. It can be tricky to do this with a motorcycle helmet, especially.

I've responded to a few road-side incidents myself and the first thing I do is assess the patient. After this, if everything else is ok, it's head stabilization time, and I don't allow the patient to move until I get backup on the scene. Granted, I've had formal training on this subject.

The reason I say this (not to freak you out) is that people have been sued in similar circumstances. Of course if she moved herself onto your backpack, then it is her fault completely.

I don't want to discourage you at all, I just want to let you know what has been going on in litigious America.

Stay safe out there;
Mercaptan

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tankahn said:

Thanks for the tip. I was mindful of that too. My friend related to me how he became quadrapelgic after a freak diving accident when his friends moved him. The backpack was an inch thick at the base so I could just slip under the victim's face.

Last year I had a bad motorcycle crash in Thailand. Few people stopped to help and I remember forever the man who helped me get to the hospital. Just returning the favor.

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Cool, thanks for the clarification. Sounds like you did the right thing by putting that backpack there, as it would have gone to make sure she had an airway and wasn't sucking asphalt.

Good stuff man.

I'd say that 1/3rd of the people I've worked with in EMS would not respond to a car crash they passed by because they were fearful of lawsuits. Give them a uniform, an ambulance, back-up crews and (most importantly) lawyers on retainer and they'll go fight tanker trucks on fire.

It's all part of the game. The last guy I helped I didn't even have gloves on while I held his head stable. My girlfriend, taking an EMT-B class now, chastised me. I said this bluntly; "Only you can draw the line in the sand where you wish to sacrifice your own personal sense of safety, legality and health in saving others. I've already drawn mine."

For the record, my hands were covered in the victims blood.

Way to go James !!!! :thumbsup::thumbsup: You make me proud to be a part of this fine CPF Community :wave:

Mercaptan said:

It's all part of the game. The last guy I helped I didn't even have gloves on while I held his head stable. My girlfriend, taking an EMT-B class now, chastised me. I said this bluntly; "Only you can draw the line in the sand where you wish to sacrifice your own personal sense of safety, legality and health in saving others. I've already drawn mine."

For the record, my hands were covered in the victims blood.

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I applaud you and tankahn for being willing to put others needs over your own. :twothumbs