Jack was driving home from work that night on I-287 when he saw
a deer leap in front of his car – that was his first piece of
bad luck for the evening. He quickly swerved to the right to
avoid it, and he was successful – sort of. He missed the deer,
but the left rear end of his car (not an SUV) started to come up
to the front while the car kept going straight. A moment later
the wheels caught and Jack had his second piece of bad luck for
the evening: his car started to roll over. During that roll,
the lucky horseshoe in his car must have changed directions,
because Jack’s luck was all good from that moment on.
He was lucky that the roof of the car
didn’t collapse during the roll (he would later be grateful to
the car’s designers, too). He was lucky that his car rolled
just once, and then stopped upright on its tires. He was lucky
that when the car finally stopped, it was in the median, and the
traffic behind him moved gracefully around him. He was
especially lucky that a passerby quickly called 911 on a cell
phone, and the Basking Ridge Fire Company and Rescue Squad was
quickly dispatched to the scene.
Before the Fire Trucks Arrive
About 60 seconds after the accident, a
volunteer firefighter from Clinton drove by the scene,
ascertained that 911 had been called, surveyed the vehicle to
ensure that there was no imminent risk of fire, and then spoke
to Jack, who was still stunned by recent events. At that point,
the volunteer’s training kicked in, and she entered the back
seat of the car, reached around, and held Jack’s head in a
stable position, facing forward, pretty much as she had found
him. The big threat at the moment is that during the rollover,
Jack might have broken his neck. Some cervical fractures are
extremely painful. Others can go unnoticed until the patient
turns his head, only to severe the enclosed spinal cord and
cause paralysis and perhaps death.
A few minutes later, a State Trooper
arrives at the accident, and positions his car to block the
leftmost lane of traffic. He ensures that all needed help is on
the way, including a wrecker to remove the damaged car to
restore traffic flow as soon as possible.
Fire Trucks on Scene
The first fire truck to arrive is prepared
to fight a vehicle fire. The fire fighters hurry to the scene
to inspect the vehicle, and determine that there is now little
chance of fire. They reach inside to remove the keys and open
the hood to reduce as many threats as possible. If necessary,
these experts can peel off the roof of Jack’s car to remove
him. But not today – Jack’s luck continues, and the driver’s
door opens.
The second fire truck on scene is a Rescue
Truck that contains the tools necessary to extract hurt people
from crumpled cars. The first fire fighters have determined that
this vehicle’s capabilities will not be needed, so this unit is
parked in the leftmost lane to protect the rescuers. And all
the while, the volunteer fire fighter sits behind Jack, her
hands stabilizing his head, and her voice talking him through
some of the most horrible minutes in his life.
Ambulance on Scene
The ambulance parks in front of the
accident, so it has some protection from the other vehicles.
Three EMTs emerge. The first walks quickly to the vehicle,
circles it once to help understand the mechanism of the injury
that Jack sustained, then thanks the volunteer for holding
stabilization, and speaks briefly to Jack. Jack’s luck
continues to hold: he has no apparent injuries, but the rollover
gives a high index of suspicion for potential spinal injury.
The Basking Ridge EMT therefore relieves the volunteer fire
fighter and starts asking questions: What’s your name? How do
you feel? What exactly happened? Do you have any medical
conditions? And so on and so on.
As the first EMT talks to Jack and
stabilizes his spine, two other EMTs are pushing a cot full of
gear to the car. When they get there, the fire fighters brief
them about the scene and the first EMT updates them on Jack’s
condition – he continues to be as lucky as possible. The two
additional EMTs first put a vest-like “Exrication Device” on
Jack that is essentially a splint for his spine. The three EMTs
now begin a delicate dance: with the help of several
firefighters, they will maneuver Jack out of the car and onto a
2-foot by 6-foot “long board” to which he will be secured with
Velcro straps, all without moving his spine. When this is
accomplished, Jack and the long board are secured to a cot, the
cot is wheeled to the ambulance, and the whole package is
delivered to the Emergency room at Morristown Memorial Hospital.
Jack is lucky – he walks out of the
hospital a couple hours later, only a little worse for the
wear. Had Jack not been so lucky, and had trained volunteers
not been there to take care of him, Jack might have left the
hospital in a wheel chair, or not at all. But that didn’t
happen today – Jack is lucky, and this was just a little
rollover.
Rapid response can save lives and
property only if enough volunteers can take the time to help
people in need. The Basking Ridge First Aid Squad needs more
Fire Fighters and EMTs. For more information on becoming an
EMT, click here. And if you
don’t have time to become an EMT yourself, you can still
contribute through your financial support
here.
