Forums > Social Discussion > Witnessing car accidents

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Well done for stopping and doing your best (plenty wouldn't have bothered).

I've never been in that situation, but did do a First Aid course that focused heavily on the fact that these situations are incredibly choatic/stressful, and that any training is likely to go out the window when faced with the reality of an accident.

So well done; it sounds like you did brilliant.

"You can't outrun Death forever.
But you can make the Bastard work for it."

--MAJOR KORGO KORGAR,
"Last of The Lancers"
AFC 32


Educate your self in the Hazards of Fire Breathing STAY SAFE!

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Yes, well done indeed. I used to live with a paramedic and I once went out with him for the day to see what it was like. We didn’t have anything bad that day (just some bad cuts and stuff) but it was enough to make me think about what he did. He was someone I have no respect for at all (but that’s a LONG story) but I was impressed that some people can see all that death and pain in there job and come back to be normal people without worrying about it.

I hope your friend is ok, best wishes to them both and to you.

There's too many home fires burning and not enough trees

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Thanks Dave and Sym.

I guess I just feel frustrated I couldn't do more.
Take care

Getting to the other side

Posted: 20th Dec 2004

Written by:

---

I guess I just feel frustrated I couldn't do more.

---

But you tried your best. And this it what really counts!

To learn - read. To know - write. To master - teach . . .

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
My housemate saw a 10 year old boy killed by a car last year, and it shook her up badly at the time - it's only natural to react like that to such an awful event... I have a lot of respect for people like paramedics, nurses and doctors who have to be able to cope with seeing things like that regularly - it can't be easy.

Hope you're ok, and don't beat yourself up over not being able to do more...

"Moo," said the happy cow.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
really dont beat yourself up, i would love to be a paramedic but it must be so hard. you wath stuff like casualty all the time but somehow it dosnt sink in that that kind of stuff is goin on all the time

ive learned
life is tough... but im tougher

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Thanks Andy, Spiralx and meghann.

Spiralx... jeez. That must've been terrible for your housemate (of course, for the boy's family also). How did she cope?

Getting to the other side

Posted: 20th Dec 2004

Love is the law.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
not only that accident stuff... hugs for doing your best there.

how is your friend?... hammer attacks are savage, i wish him and his wife all the luck in the world to catch the bastards that did that to them.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Hugs to you...it sounds like you did quite well, and better than many would have done.

I hope your friend heals quickly, and that your week gets better quickly!!

Solitude sometimes speaks to you, and you should listen.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Eek that sounds hardcore...

My girlfriend and I witnessed one recently. A head on collision of 2 mopeds in a sea of hundreds in Cambodia, both not wearing helmets both killed.

There was the 2 of us on a the back of a moped taxi at the time (no helmets) just behind them and it's frightening stuff watching that kinda thing happen.

I live in a world of infinite possibilities.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
thats nasty, i've heard it helps if you dont look at their eyes cause it sort of detaches you from recognising them as human. morbid sort of but might help concerntration

"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"

jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
Thanks everyone,



Am a bit more settled today, though I had some dramatic dreams last night.



James, that must have been terrible... I can't imagine how it must be to see life ended so abruptly. And Cambodia is a shocking place for accidents.

A Sri-Lankan friend of mine was on his moped in Phenm Penh a couple of months ago and a car ran him over. His hand was severed in the crash. The hospitals there are awful sadly (many don't have anything but material bandages to patch up wounds), and they really messed up trying to save the hand.



He was taken to a much better hospital in Bangkok in the end, but unfortunately, they couldn't save his hand. He's gone back to Sri Lanka to recover.



I think life can fall into such a pattern of normality that witnessing a crash can really snap you out of your comfort zone.

I'm sorry to continue in this morbid tone, but 10 people were killed on Ireland's roads this weekend (6 south, 4 north) - including a 10-year-old boy last night...



Please everyone on HoP, take care on the roads whereever you are in the world.

Getting to the other side

Posted: 20th Dec 2004

Written by: Firepoise

---

Thanks Andy, Spiralx and meghann.

Spiralx... jeez. That must've been terrible for your housemate (of course, for the boy's family also). How did she cope?

---

Well she's quite a tough sort mentally, so she was alright after the initial shock and getting to grips with that. She just needed to talk about it to be able to move on...

"Moo," said the happy cow.

Posted: 20th Dec 2004
I suspect dealing with emergency situations is a bit like learning to play with fire - you can get really good with your practice poi, but a lot of that flies out the window the first few times you use fire. I would guess medical training and actually having to deal with an accident is the same way. eventually you get used to dealing with both.

I'm still really really nervous dealing with badly injured people. truth be told, I am much more calm dealing with and figuring out what to do about my own severe injuries. perhaps it is because I have more experience with seeing myself mangled rather than others?

I only just now remembered an accident I saw two years ago (almost to the day - I think it was on december 24th) in west africa in front of a market. huh. that was a pretty bad one, and the scariest thing about it was realizing that no one was going to get any better medical attention than from me and the peace corps volunteers I was with at the time for quite a while (minimum several hours), if ever. It is much more comforting to have an ambulance arrive and take the situation away from you than it is to have to throw an unconcious person with major head trauma in the back of a bush taxi and watch him bounce around as they speed of down a dirt road full of potholes. Don't move him? Keep his neck strait? not possible! I'd be really suprised if he made it.

And the other person involved, who had her leg literally broken in half - the best I could do for her was help her onto the back of a moped taxi after someone else covered the open flesh and exposed bone!!! Now she was tough. she was going to have to ride for a couple hours like that to get to the nearest medical station that may or may not have been equiped to set her leg. I really hope the driver found her a bush taxi (the only cars youll find around there) soon after.

man, I still wince about that one.

And I have to say I really felt stupid standing there, trying to remember what I could do or was supposed to do, then realizing I really couldn't manage any of that given the situation and enviroment and then arguing back and forth with the peace corps volunteers as to wether or not to let people pick up the guy and put him in the bush taxi or not, and would the lady be better in the bush taxi (the only car available at the time) since the guy probably wasn't going to live anyway, and then all the people around looking to us like we knew what the hell to do since we were educated westerners and all! And then me obviously being the oldest male, that meant I was supposed to give orders even though I didn't even speak their language - I mean at least the people there were sort of familiar with the one of the peace corps volunteers, but she was female, so they wouldn't listen to her unless it looked like she was translating what I said. that was crazy. eventually someone suggested to try the boarder crossing over into Niger for the guy, since maybe the hospital in one of the major towns there might be able to do something for him if they could get him there fast enough. The woman was sent in the other direction since they probably wouldn't let something not immediately life threatening over the boarder. It was so surreal making the locals tell me what the best options were through an interpreter and then having that same interpreter tell them back that yes, that sounds like the best idea so do it - like I had any friggin clue! You think it sounds like a good idea, then do it! why are you waiting for me to tell you what to do? I don't live here, I don't know your resources, I don't know where anything is or the fastest way to get to it!!!

After that, I came to the conclusion that ambulances are an even better idea that I used to. with ambulances, all the training you need is how to maximize the survivability of the victim till the ambulance comes. and guess what - if an ambulance isn't coming, a lot of that doesn't count and it is difficult to figure exactly what doesn't count when you are in the middle of the situation. And better yet, someone shows up who at least looks like they know what to do.

And why did it take me like 2 hours to remember all that? Here I was happily reading this thread a while ago thinking, "I glad nothing like that has happened to me recently!" until I actually started writing this reply...

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 21st Dec 2004
Ohhhh. Thanks for sharing

Hmmm. Accidents are unpleasant in a western country, but add in all those factors and the unexpected responsibility – it's strange how the body copes with it. Despite alien situations, people just get on and do their best - it's amazing how much people can deal with when forced.

Trying to decide who would go in the car and who on the bike must have been traumatic. Did you ever find out what happened to those people?

Getting to the other side

Posted: 21st Dec 2004
no idea what happened to then actually...

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 22nd Dec 2004
One of my best friends is a paramedic, she often works as 'first response' on a motorbike so is often the first person on the scene of an accident. How she does it, I just don't know. She comes round to the house if she's had a bad day and just wants to talk about it - some of the things she's seen and had to do are awful. She went to a major accident on the motorway once and the first thing she had to do was walk down a line of wrecked cars and tag the people who had died so that the paramedic ambulance crews who came after her wouldn't waste time on them. How do people manage to do that kind of job?

sin

"Abashed, the Devil stood and saw how awful Goodness is"

Posted: 22nd Dec 2004
With a lot of strength and good friends, I guess

Getting to the other side

Posted: 22nd Dec 2004
I guess so, that'll be why she spends so much time at my place just chilling out with us! Much as I admire her and her colleagues, it's not a job I'd want to do.

sin

"Abashed, the Devil stood and saw how awful Goodness is"

Posted: 22nd Dec 2004
by knowing it is an important job, and for as much crap as they see, there is the reward of knowing that some families are very grateful one of their loved ones was saved (even if there is no recognition of that 99.9%of the time).

being a hero has always been a rough job.

-v-

Wiederstand ist Zwecklos!

Posted: 22nd Dec 2004

Written by: onewheeldave

---

I've never been in that situation, but did do a First Aid course that focused heavily on the fact that these situations are incredibly choatic/stressful, and that any training is likely to go out the window when faced with the reality of an accident.

---

I disagree I find you go into 'dealing with crisis' mode when placed in that type of situation, maybe it's just me, but I've come across a really bad car accident nd I just got stuck into it. Sort of fight or flight perhaps. I've a PHEC qualification, a bit more indepth than first aid, but I think it's more seeing that something has to be done than the piece of paper you have.....

I do totally take my hat off to those who do it for a job though, it's not something I would want to face every day becuase there is only so much you can do....and take .....

peace out stay safe
jen

p.s. after the accident I came across I now stop for anyone who looked like they needed help, just made me see things differently I guess

get up stand up

Posted: 23rd Dec 2004
This ain't half as bad as the above stuff... but I was the bit about can you remember/do the things you were taught... I know I was taught... that didn't do much good in this instance, but I also knew it wasn't life threating.....

I stabbed me girl in the forearm the other week with a really sharp kitchen knife. Now, there was instant claret (blood) everywhere and she held her arm over the sink, and I see the wound, it was obviously a quite deep wound as I could see the insides of the arm (white bits of fleshy stuff), at this point, I knew hospital was for definate. What should have been done with her arm??? I wrapped a tea towel round her arm, and I'm sure it was no way near tight enough (she said if I had tightened it, she probably would have picked up the knife.....) She said the towel should be tightened above the wound (possibly above the elbow) to stop the blood.... anyone know?

I used to be indecisive, but I'm not so sure now.....