Have you been there?

[RFDMedic3D]

I was involved in an intersection MVC the other week while responding to CVA symptoms. The light had just gone red for my direction and I slowed to a crawl to ensure everyone in the opposing lane saw me, they had, or so I thought. As I proceded thru the intersection, a car came racing into the intersection and hit my ambulance right at the rear wheels. This caused us to tip up onto the passenger side wheels. As I looked out the windshield and driver's window, I thought to my self, "WOW! we're really high, wait a minute, this unit isn't that big!!!" We then returned to all our wheels with a "BANG!" After checking myself and my partner, we checked the other driver and called in to dispatch. We were both just shaken up and the other driver had a minor cut on the forehead, their car however wasn't as lucky.

I was just wondering if anyone else had crazy things go through their heads during stressful situations.

[JTpaintball70]

Not quite in your situation, but I rolled a TypeII when I hit black ice on the interstate responding mutual aid to our sister service one county over in NM... It sucked. I'm glad you guys made out ok!

[scubanurse]

I was in a medic unit that was t-boned at an intersection when I was 18 and a senior in high school. I remember immediately afterwards thinking holy crap what just happened. I had been in the back on the bench seat so I hadn't seen it coming. I'm glad you guys are okay, as we were eventually. I'd expect to be shaken the next time you have to drive L&S.

Best of luck to you guys and hope nothing like this happens again for you.

[Richard B the EMT]

February 1977, my non-9-1-1 system ambulance, in full L&S Emergency Mode, running for a cardiac patient, at roughly 10 PM, got T-Boned at Hillside Avenue at 188th Street, Queens County, on the driver's side, and flat spun a bit more than 180 degrees. Stupid youth that I was, I wasn't wearing my seat belt, and got thrown to the floor of my type 2 ambulance. I was "tech-ing" that evening.

First, questioning myself why I was on the floor of the ambulance, the realization hit me, and I switched off the batteries, the siren, the Emergency lights, and the ignition (in that order). I then pulled myself up, and looked out the front windshield.

The ambulance was facing a Funeral Home, on one corner of the intersection! What a thing, in a car crash, to wake up to!

I managed to open the door, step down, and start doing a survey of the damage, telling bystanders to call 9-1-1, when I heard my partner, nicknamed "Snake", try to restart the ambulance. Rushing back as best I could with my assorted minor injuries, I again turned off the ignition and batteries.

Snake had a stuttering problem, usually minor and controlled. Not this time. It was so weird, hearing him ask me, over and over, "Richard, what the fu-fu-fu-fuck happened?"

I have to mention that anyone working at that hour for that company was a part-timer on Night Shift, paid by the number of calls the team handled during a 14 hour shift. The ambulance we were in that night was the unit normally assigned to the Teamsters Union shop steward. Day shift was strictly "on the clock".

The Caddy Eldorado that hit us had nearly cut the 1976 Chevrolet-Yankee Coach "Patriot 63" (*) in half, and, after a total repair job by the contracted body shop, that took 3 months, the vehicle was actually returned to service, although they were careful never to assign me that particular vehicle. Also, the company reportedly "stiffed" the body shop for the cost of the repairs. My partner was fired, even though he was about to become the son in law of the chief dispatcher, and the night dispatcher who assigned us the vehicle that evening had apparently done so without authorization (of management or the shop steward), and was also fired. I was recuperating for the next 2 weeks.

(*) Minus the quad headlights, stereo, and beer cooler, and with a "walk through", this vehicle was the same manufacture and style of "Mother" Tucker's (Bill Cosby) ambulance in "Mother, Juggs, and Speed".

[fakingpatience]

I was just wondering if anyone else had crazy things go through their heads during stressful situations.

My brain is weird, I tell that to anyone who knows me. I have never been in an ambulance accident (knock on wood!), but anytime anything stressful is going on, I tend to notice weird details. I am trying to think of an example of this, but drawing a blank, but just wanted to let you know you are not weird for thinking random things at stressful times. Or maybe you are weird, but then I am too