SafetyPro2
Forum Safety Officer
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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.
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.
