Life saver

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Life saver

Postby huw williams » Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:45 am

This morning I finally got to use my recently acquired First Aid skills.

Not what I'd anticipated - (an ACC club run with hundreds of riders down in pain due to a ill-fated move through the peloton by AJ). No this was far more prosaic. You know when you use those small gangs of scooter mounted teenagers tearing up the streets, engines over-revving like amplified Hornets, and you secretly think to yourself "I wish you'd get your comeupence under the wheels of one of those cars you're cutting up." Well this morning one of them did - right in front of me as I was walking to work.

Low speed crash, rider was cutting in front of traffic slowing down for the lights at Butlers when WHAMO! Broadsided by a Mondeo which hadn't seen the scoot. Though internally I was thinking "HAH, YOU GOT YOURS BUDDY!" professionalism got the better of me and I moved in. Rider on the floor, screaming in pain, a crowd quickly gathers and suddenly everybody's Dr Findley. But I've got a red badge which proves I'm qualified to deal with such emergencies and I wasn't going to miss a chance like this. Wielding my credential before me, I scythed through the throng like some green-behind-the-years FBI agent looking for his first bust.

Its amazing how group mentality disintegrates when you throw a bunch of strangers together in a random situation at the side of the road. The small crowd seemed determined to put not only the accidentee in danger by cutting off all available air but also themselves by standing IN the road with rush hour traffic screaming past. It took so long to get everybody else safely out of the way that the crash victim was probably dying of old age rather than internal injuries. Finally I got a sensible builder to park his van just before the incident with hazards on, the other be-hooded riders to get the dead scooter off the road and out of the way and a woman from the sandwich shop who was more distressed than the crash victim, having seen the incident, to call for an ambulance.

The victim was a female and it wasn't too bad thankfully - she was conscious and in quite good spirits but with a lot of pain down her left side. It's wise to get an initial assesment of the injuries in situations like this so that the medics have an idea of what they're going to be dealing with when they arrive. Which means a hands on examination, asking permission of the victim and a general announcement to the crowd of what your doing and why (for legal reasons). Not too bad thankfully, all the damage was down her left side from hitting the floor rather than hitting the car. She couldn't move anything below her elbow on that side, wrist was almost certainly broken and probably collar bone too given the howling coming from her when I moved her upper arm about a millimeter.

DAMN - no need to practice CPR or Rescue Breaths :evil: ah well that's probably a good thing, though I was tempted to run up to the office for the first aid box and practice my slings on her. A passing 'patient transporter' pulled up at that point, the driver outranking me with a bigger badge, a fluorescent red-cross bib AND NHS standard issue rubber-gloves so I let him take over explaining that I'd done all the hard work in keeping her alive if he'd like to sew her up and get her back to the ward :D :D :D

Not a bad performance for my first incident (you have to write up what happened and submit a report self-evaluating your performance and identifying what you did and could have done better) at least I didn't panic and try amputating any limbs or anything.
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Re: Life saver

Postby Ivor » Thu Jun 19, 2008 9:58 am

Superb!!! Well done Huw!
Now where are you when us professional ACC crash artists fly over the handlebars?

(Still in pain here... is it possible to fracture a sternum?)
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Re: Life saver

Postby mrP(Boonen)VT » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:04 am

Huw - my hero....

Well, quite impressed anyway. 8)

Sounds like you gave a good performance
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Re: Life saver

Postby huw williams » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:04 am

Cheers Ivor/Paul

is it possible to fracture a sternum?

Oh yes - in fact a large number of this type of injury occurs in 'road' accidents involving cars (where the rider impacts the steering wheel) or bikes (where the rider impacts the stem/handlebars
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Re: Life saver

Postby Ivor » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:19 am

[quote="huw williams"]Oh yes - in fact a large number of this type of injury occurs...

Hmmm, I'll see how it goes for the next few weeks. Thought it was getting better but riding with a heavy rucksack seems to have made it worse again. I'll just keep topped up with the nurofen for now.... I'm getting a bit bored of visiting the doctor with cycling injuries. :) I suspect the feeling is mutual.

[quote="huw williams"]or bikes (where the rider impacts the stem/handlebars

and injuries where the rider clears the bars airborne and lands on the hard ground, chest first, some distance ahead in a superman pose? snuffle.
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Re: Life saver

Postby huw williams » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:22 am

To be honest - with injuries to the sternum and ribs there's not much you can do except let 'em repair themselves (you can't put a sling on a rib)
What you can do is not make things worse by putting further stress on the injury like carrying heavy rucksacks :evil: :evil: :evil:
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Re: Life saver

Postby Ivor » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:29 am

[quote="huw williams"]To be honest - with injuries to the sternum and ribs there's not much you can do except let 'em repair themselves (you can't put a sling on a rib)
What you can do is not make things worse by putting further stress on the injury like carrying heavy rucksacks :evil: :evil: :evil:

er.
ahem. :? :roll:
ah.
oops.
I have an excuse?
I was ambushed by a buy one get one half price offer in Books Etc at lunchtime and got a stash of interesting titles.... with hindsight I'd have realised nine books would feel pretty heavy after 20 miles.
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Re: Life saver

Postby Amy » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:50 am

I know this is considered by some a verboten word but have you considered panniers? Makes life a lot easier for carrying things on the bike and less sweaty and a lot easier on the back :wink:
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Re: Life saver

Postby Andrew G » Thu Jun 19, 2008 10:54 am

[quote]Which means a hands on examination

Any excuse :roll: .

Yep panniers everytime, much more comfortable and easier to carry heavier weights. You'd have been able to get a damn site more than 9 books home Ivor. Can you fit them to your Airminal?
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Re: Life saver

Postby Ivor » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:02 am

[quote="Amy"]I know this is considered by some a verboten word but have you considered panniers? Makes life a lot easier for carrying things on the bike and less sweaty and a lot easier on the back :wink:

indeed, not an option on the road bike. [img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:X_gVjmUZH80xoM:http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/catalog/medium/PF4FIB485Baler.jpg[/img] I got one of those top-peak racks [img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:lO-OlIdal9AL8M:http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31CDC8CJT0L._SL500_SS90_.jpg[/img]
to clamp onto the seatpost for the folder/commuter [img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:tAqSu0AfgBXnuM:http://www.flyingfurniture.com.au/images/airnimal%2520joey%2520folded.JPG[/img], but it was just a bit of a pain, and kept twizzling around.
Trouble is if I know I'm going to ride both ways then I want to ride the road bike... whoosh... if I think I might just do one way they I'll take the folder but then I want it to be quick and simple to get onto the train and the rack/pannier was a bit of a faff.
perhaps I'll try again.
oooh, neat.... [img]http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:zvZ0iHjuQ1uAyM:http://www.policebikestore.com/accessories-police/police-pannier-s.jpg[/img]

and for Huw.... http://www.abikestore.com/Merchant2/mer ... e_Code=pbs
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Re: Life saver

Postby Marky Mark » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:26 am

Huw, when I'm fit and well to ride again I was wondering if you'd like to ride with the 15's that day!! :wink:

Y'know, just in case :roll: Well done Super Hero
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Re: Life saver

Postby huw williams » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:33 am

:D :D :D
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Re: Life saver

Postby Michelle » Thu Jun 19, 2008 11:54 am

Nice save Huw! Hope the scooter chick is ok, though.

They are a nuisance, and really bad for the Environment I've heard. She should get a bike :D
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