yowzer
Forum Lieutenant
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Scenario: A woman in her 70's is out hiking, and miles down the trail trips and injures her ankle -- fracture or bad sprain. A bystander splints it, and she and her husband try to walk out, can't. SAR gets activated, which is where I come in. An uneventful evac occurs.
As we're getting closer to the trailhead, we start to discuss transportation with her. She wants her husband to drive her to a hospital. We want her to go by ambulance, since it's obvious she's in more pain than she's admitting to, and it'd be a lot better for her to be moved rather than have to get from a car to triage on her own. She wins, and we end up picking her up out of the rescue litter and into the back seat of their car, and send them on their way with orders to the husband to get a wheelchair at the hospital instead of her trying to walk in.
Two major things crossed my mind. First... I hope I'm still able to get out at that age. She'd been doing this for a long time -- her pack was covered with patches from mountains and hiking trails overseas she'd been on trips to, and was in awesome shape. Second... the injured but apologetic "I'm sorry all of you had to come out here, I hate to be a bother, save the ambulance for someone who needs it, you're great for doing this but I wish I hadn't ruined your Friday night" type patient is so... refreshing compared to the typical stuff I see in town. They're not made like that any more.
As we're getting closer to the trailhead, we start to discuss transportation with her. She wants her husband to drive her to a hospital. We want her to go by ambulance, since it's obvious she's in more pain than she's admitting to, and it'd be a lot better for her to be moved rather than have to get from a car to triage on her own. She wins, and we end up picking her up out of the rescue litter and into the back seat of their car, and send them on their way with orders to the husband to get a wheelchair at the hospital instead of her trying to walk in.
Two major things crossed my mind. First... I hope I'm still able to get out at that age. She'd been doing this for a long time -- her pack was covered with patches from mountains and hiking trails overseas she'd been on trips to, and was in awesome shape. Second... the injured but apologetic "I'm sorry all of you had to come out here, I hate to be a bother, save the ambulance for someone who needs it, you're great for doing this but I wish I hadn't ruined your Friday night" type patient is so... refreshing compared to the typical stuff I see in town. They're not made like that any more.