Thursday, June 21, 2012

A nice day for a drive

The sun is shining, chris moyles on the radio, it's going to be a great day! I'm driving along with my sunnies and air con on thinking of the jobs I've got to do when I get to station. Ahead in the distance I see on the opposite carriageway the traffic slowing, I can't make out why. I then see a puff of black smoke and a lorry at a strange angle....*fuck* if I'm honest my immediate thought was to look the other way and pretend that I didn't see anything but my honest ego slaps me across the face reminding me I'm in a marked FRV. I call it in on the radio and head to the next junction to spin round. I've asked for the police, fire and 2 vehicles. I hope that's enough. there's one older chap trapped in the lorry, thankfully no other patients. the road is a wash with diesel and I try to get access to my patient. he's trapped in the cab and all I can reach of him is his right arm. he's conscious and complaining of pain everywhere. i have a good pulse and I manage to get a BP, get a line in and climb up into the cab with him. we chat about this and that and pass the time of day, trumpton arrive and try to release him. I can't feel down his legs as they are trapped by the engine, he says he can feel them so that's good. trumpton use spreaders to try and get some room, the cut the roof and door off. I wish they'd hurry and they do well, as we get him on to the spinal board I can reach a hand down to his lower legs, he screams out. his leg has been impaled by the seat runner, back through to the front. he is half in, half out, I have to make a decision, his leg or his life. I have to unimpale it. he screams some more but he is free. thankfully I requested the helicopter once we realised how badly trapped he was. within 15 minutes he'll be at s regional trauma centre. he still refused any pain relief. mad crazy old fool.
I get cleaned up. back on station and someone makes me a cup of tea, I get sent to the hospital on standby and I call in to see my sister in law who makes more tea. tea makes everything better doesn't it?! my radio interrupts the silence informing me of yet another lorry entrapment. within 15 minutes I am looking at a scene of carnage, a lorry has run in to the back of a farm vehicle, it's a foreign lorry and ironically if it had been right hand drive he wouldn't be so trapped. there's a FRV and a crew here, just one patient, but a gravely ill one. I liaise with the crew here, then control asking for a doctor and helimed. we can't control this guys pain nor his bleeding. he is trapped by his mangled legs and they probably need amputating as again the engine is playing it's part in trapping them. I have a helicopter and a doctor on route but they are tracking 40 minutes away, a PTL is bringing the flying squad down from another county. we can't get enough fluid into the guy as it is spilling out everywhere. the squad arrive and I watch the doctor get out. my heart sinks. literally. this doc is a lovely guy but it would have been more useful sending nurse Gladys on her bike. he wanders over with no sense of urgency; "have you got him out yet?" he asks nonchalantly. " I think you might need to perform bi lateral amputations" I reply as he drops his helmet.
the helicopter arrives and things look a little better, the fire service have erected scaffolding and are cutting the engine away little by little. I take a step back and watch how everyone is involved and willing this guy to live, each absorbed in some way and working like they have worked together for years which of course they haven't. I am distracted by my 3 cups of tea and bursting bladder, I look around thinking that I may need to find a bush soon but look skyward to see the police helicopter and think me having a wee would, knowing my luck end up on some police reality show. Thankfully after being trapped for 90+ minutes they release him and he is barely alive. he is flown to a trauma centre and taken straight to theatre but despite all of our work and silent prayers he dies on the table. As he was flown away we look in the cab and find lots of childrens toys and teddies. A panic grips us all as we realise we could have missed something terrible. thankfully we found nothing, but a grim thought hangs over us as we find photo's of this guy and his family.

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