Good Samaritan Killed in Accident

[lightsandsirens5]

I was first truck in on this call.

Yet another reminder to me of why I don't stop at accidents off duty.

A woman had just rear ended a pickup at 75 mph. The pickup was able to clear the roadway, but she couldn't. Trapped in the car. Two guys driving by stopped to help and both got hit by another vehicle at 75 mph at the least.

Major, major, major trauma. The one was DAS. The other one I transported. Other crews handled the ones from the wreck itself.

My patient, I tried twice to intubate him, but even continuous suction couldn't clear the blood. When we bagged him, air, blood and brain matter came out his ears. He was already draining brain matter out his nose.

Every limb was broken in multiple places, with the exception of his right leg. Pelvis was mush. Huge open skull fracture the size of my hand, and a totally open c spine crush/fracture. Rib cage was destroyed. Even all his fingers were broken near as I can tell. Major facial trauma. Facial fracture.

Would have called him DAS as well, but he had a pulse till we put the ambulance in drive. Granted, it was only 24 a min and very weak. We had enough trucks, so I went ahead and tagged him red instead of black and we worked him.

The worst part is, the firefighter who rode it in with us to help, knew the guy really well. Didn't recognize him in that condition. Worked his buddy all the way to the ER and didn't know it. 33 years old. Left a wife and a son, a rather young boy.

So people, don't stop on the roadway to help! Just call 911. It was just another sobering reminder of why I don't stop at an MVA if I can help it.

 

[Aprz]

That's a very sad story. :[ Under few circumstances can I imagine good Samaritans actually be able to help (e.g. cardiac arrest). For everything else, it's not worth stopping just for an assessment. We emphasize on this forum that being able to treat is useless (and can be harmful) without a good assessment, but a lot of times an assessment (and without diagnostic to put a cherry on top of it) isn't going to help much either. It's not worth it.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

Sounds now like they may be charging the driver with some form of negligent homicide. They think he might have been texting. He's 18. So sad.

And as DPS continues to put things together, it sounds like my patient may have been hit, gone through the vehicle (a Ford Tarus) and come out the back window. :-S

 

[RocketMedic]

Wow. If you need to talk, I'm here (and interested in your company lol).

 

[Shishkabob]

Atleast knowing where it took place you had a short ride to GS and were close to a lot of responding resources, each with good crews. Sorry bro.



This is why I drive on by. Family often asks why, and I tell them exactly why, I don't have a bunch of emergency vehicles blocking, I don't have my gear, there's nothing I can do except be another target on the road.