# First On-Scene



## SafetyPro2 (Jul 21, 2004)

Had the interesting experience of getting to a call before it was dispatched the other night.

About 10 PM, we were toned out for an elderly male with abdominal pain. Since I was covering one of the FFs who just got back from one of our many wildfires, I got in my truck and headed out.

About a block from my house, I saw a car stopped on the other side of the road ahead. Something looked odd, but I couldn't figure out what it was, so I slowed as I approached. I then realized I was actually seeing two cars facing each other, about 15 feet apart. As I passed, I also saw something that made my breath catch...a bicycle laying in front of the car that was facing the wrong way.

I immediately pulled to the side and grabbed my jump kit. Didn't have a cell phone with me, so I went over, identifying myself and asking if someone was hurt to a couple of guys standing in the middle of the street. One was obviously upset (I'm immediately thinking "Driver") and the other said "That guy over there." pointing to a 30 YO male sitting on the curb. I go up to him and introduce myself, ask him what happend and start doing a quick eval. He was A&O x4 and very calm. Said he got hit, and his ankle hurt "a little". I'm thinking maybe he got clipped or something. Only visible wounds were a minor abrasion to his elbow and another on the back of his shoulder. I'm was also trying to find out if anyone had called it in at this time, but I saw and heard a PD cruiser approaching down the street and the tones come through my pager right then. As I started to do a quick head to toe, I glanced over at the car.

My assessment immediately changed at that. Souped up Honda Accord, with the hood was dented in severely. The windshield was totally spidered and pushed in a good six inches. At this point, my patient tells me "I think I mighta hit my head too".

Yeah, probably.

I went ahead and did the quick head to toe, then started C-spine since I didn't see anything life-threatening. About this time, a Captain arrived and I filled him in. Not too far behind him was the second ambulance and the engine (was toned as a TC, so the engine rolled). They got a more detailed assessment and vitals, and then we got him on the board and in the ambulance. Since I was first on-scene, I went in as the patient care person.

We somehow managed to beat first ambulance into the ER (they got stuck on-scene trying to get their patient upstairs with limited responders due to the second call). In fact, we were just finishing up our decon when they arrived. The ER doc had already removed C-spine on our patient at that point..the guy really did get off lucky with a minor case of road rash and a possible sprained ankle. 

Apparently the Honda was travelling westbound, with the bike eastbound on the other side. The Honda driver decided to swing wide into the opposite lane to make a right turn into a driveway...right in front of the bicyclist. He just had time to turn sideways before the impact. Car mostly hit the bike (and his sore ankle), and he slid up the hood and into the windshield. That probably saved him...had he be hit head on, he probably would have gone over the top and been injured worse.


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## MMiz (Jul 21, 2004)

wow.

I don't understand how you people have all these stories.  I need to move to some place more interesting.


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## rescuecpt (Jul 21, 2004)

I had a similar call Saturday morning - can't remember if I mentioned it on the boards already, so here goes:

We had a call at 0655, just before shift.  My crew chief and driver took off on it.  At 0705, we got a second call, for an MVA.  I was standing there with a probie.  I can't drive in the ambulance corps yet, so we paged out for a driver.  Driver shows up, we hit the road, and we find a car facing the opposite direction, on the grass on the right side of the road.  Then there's a patient laying on the ground.  A medic from a neighboring town happened to be passing by getting breakfast, so he was already doing a head to toe on the patient.  There were several other people on scene.

What happened was the patient was a bicyclist (semi-pro) out for a morning workout.  He was heading west on Jericho Turnpike (a very busy road) on the shoulder.  The other party was a 17 year old reporting for work at Bagel Bagel boss who fell asleep at the wheel and drifted across four lanes of traffic.  Luckily for him (or unluckily) he woke up as he was hitting the biker and was able to stop the car.  The windshield was spidered over 3/4 of it, and the hood had some pretty good damage...

Lucky for the biker he had a helmet on and he hit the windshield with his shoulder, not his head, or he could have broken his neck.  I felt bad for the driver, he seemed like a good kid and he was obviously in shock.  One of our chiefs arrived and convinced the parents that if he didnt come to the hospital with us he needed to see his doctor.  The mother was crying and telling the biker "thank god you're ok - I'm so glad you're ok."

Overall, it turned out well, but had some scary potential.  Great way to start a shift.


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## ffemt8978 (Aug 18, 2004)

> _Originally posted by MMiz_@Jul 20 2004, 10:57 PM
> * wow.
> 
> I don't understand how you people have all these stories.  I need to move to some place more interesting. *


 Given your recent MVC, are you sure you want to?


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## rescuecpt (Aug 18, 2004)

I had a fun call today (fun for me, not for the patient...)  A seven year old on a camp fieldtrip to the beach by my house fell off a slide and fractured his right arm.  He was trying to be a little trooper as best he could.  He kept asking if I was going to give him stitches and I promised I would not stitch him.  I also had to promise no needles.  Lucky for him, my FD doesn't have narcs, so there was no point in starting an IV if I couldn't give him anything with it (there was no external blood loss, it was a closed fracture.)

I splinted the arm, gave him O2, a little psych first aid, and we had a nice little trip to the ED.  When we rolled him in, all the nurses said "awww, poor baby!".  I'm pretty sure he's being well cared for right now.


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## MMiz (Aug 18, 2004)

> _Originally posted by ffemt8978+Aug 18 2004, 04:47 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>*QUOTE* (ffemt8978 @ Aug 18 2004, 04:47 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-MMiz_@Jul 20 2004, 10:57 PM
> * wow.
> 
> I don't understand how you people have all these stories. I need to move to some place more interesting. *


Given your recent MVC, are you sure you want to?    [/b][/quote]
 I'm fine right where I am 

I'm actually one of the few people that likes Priority 4/5 calls (Regular BLS transport with advanced notice).

You can keep your trauma, I'll keep my old people.


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## ffemt8978 (Aug 18, 2004)

> _Originally posted by MMiz_@Aug 18 2004, 06:37 PM
> * I'm fine right where I am
> 
> I'm actually one of the few people that likes Priority 4/5 calls (Regular BLS transport with advanced notice).
> ...


 Different strokes for different folks.


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## PArescueEMT (Sep 9, 2004)

> _Originally posted by MMiz_@Aug 18 2004, 08:37 PM
> * You can keep your trauma, I'll keep my old people. *


 I have more if you want them.


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