Calls that changed your perspective

[Just Plain Ruff]

I was wondering what kind or call made you change something about yourself?

Was it the smoker who had lung cancer that made you finally quit smoking?

Was it the call that caused your perspective to change?

Has a call ever caused you to change your behaviour??

Just curious. Elaborate if you wish.

[kyle308]

well I know I'm not a full blown EMS responder, but ive been doing ride along for a year now.

My first call was a car crash on the interstate. After seeing what all had happened to the people in the car, lets just say I always no matter what wear my seatbelt now.

[Happiness]

I to have a seat belt story. I have always made my children wear them but I really was lazy in that respect for myself. Paged out at 7 am to MVA roll over. We don't get alot in my community so the adrenaline just pumps. My partner and I discused on our stradagy in general and did senerios in our head as it was 20 min away. When we arrived we were informed that the pt was under the car. All that we could see was a foot so we tried to find a pedal pulse with no success. We had to wait for the other emergency personal but we could see from the accidents was the cause of drinking and driving (just so you know bottle survived). So what we guess is that she was driving along and wanted a drink hit the soft shoulder going at an excessive speed and the car went airborn and started flip in the air. She was the ejected and some how her body moved with the car and then landed directly on her. (I call this my wizard of oz call). I was concerned that there was going to be alot of blood ect but she was just flat because of the marsh in the ditch. When we able to look inside the car there was not one damaged area. She may have survived if she was wearing a seatbelt. My boys were getting the drivers licence ages and they made a trip to the car to see that seatbelts do save lives.

happiness

[Just Plain Ruff]

one quick question - why were you checking for a pedal pulse?

Second, remember that people ejected have a higher rate of dying because they are usually crushed under their car because their body will be going the same direction as the car.

I've have someone crushed under the car but they survived to be a long term care patient at a head injury rehab facility until they succumed to a respiratory infection via their trach.

Seatbelts really do save lives. It's amazing huh?

[Happiness]

I was checking because it was the only one available. She was under the hood of the vehical and the car prevented me getting at any other part of her body other than the foot that was sticking out. After the fact the RCMP feel that the accident happened between at about midnight so she laying there for at least 7 hours. This may have been one of those incidents that you just had to be there. Hope that answers it.

happiness

ps of course once the car was removed we did a full assesment

[letmesleep]

I think it would be fair to say that we could pull a little prospective from every call we run if you stop to think about it.

i had a call where this Rail Road worker was accidentally run over by a train removing both of his legs. he survived and stopped by the station to meet all of us who worked the call. talk about changing your attitude on life in general. he was one of the most upbeat people that i have ever meet given his disability (for lack of a better term), by the way did I mention yet that he was alone and drove himself approx 2 hrs to meet us? yeah, an eye opener for sure. makes you appreciate what you have in life.

[whit72]

Happiness wrote:

ps of course once the car was removed we did a full assesment

You did a full assessment on a flat person? Sorry could help myself.

I have done a number of ejections. They very rarely have a positive outcome. I have done a few though that have made complete recoveries to my astonishment

[Happiness]

Ya there are times in your career that you have to look like your doing something and I guess that was one of those times for me.

[JPINFV]

Happiness wrote:

ps of course once the car was removed we did a full assesment

You did a full assessment on a flat person?

Better flat than sharp.

[dropdeded]

Im not gonna go with any of the horrible, dramatic calls. I gotta say the old folks we respond to almost daily give me perspective on a lot of things. I like the old people. Even the BS responses give me insight into the lives of our elderly and sometimes humanity in general.

ed