First Aid …. it matters ……

 

Monday 25th May 2015 17:00

 

(This was written on the 8^th June 2015 and whilst I have edited for blog purposes it is a good reflection because it was recorded only a few days after the incident)

(I have kept some detail general as I do not want to be too graphic)

I am a self-employed First Aid Instructor Trainer. I live in Leeds (at time of writing).

I was travelling to my daughter’s house in Brampton, as I was planning on staying with her overnight, as a way of breaking my journey to Edinburgh, where I was scheduled to teach 4 First Aid courses over the following two days.

My journey had taken me north on the AI and then joined the A66 at Scotch Corner heading towards Penrith. The weather was dry and traffic was relatively quiet, although it was a Bank Holiday, there were still a significant number of large lorries on the road.

I was on a single carriageway part of the A66 and traffic was moving at between 40 – 50 mph in steady traffic. At approx 5:00pm the vehicles in front of me slowed down very quickly and stopped. There were no dramas with this stoppage as all vehicles were well spaced. I noticed to my right, diagonally in front of me a large lorry in the grass verge and up against the hedging, the driver’s door was open and I could see a driver at the wheel and another person stood outside the cab with the door open. People were getting out of their cars in front of me and there was a lorry three cars in front which obscured my view to the road ahead. I got out of my car and looked down the road, I could see debris in the road and other people moving toward the debris. I moved to my right and saw a car on its side in the grass verge on the left hand side. There were no emergency vehicles in my line of sight.

There had clearly been a collision and in the absence of emergency vehicles assumed it was very recent. I turned back towards my vehicle and ran round the back to the rear passenger side and grabbed my first aid kit then ran down the road towards the accident. I passed the lorry and looked to my right, the driver was still in the cab but had somebody with him, talking to him, I decided to ignore that and moved on, still running towards the debris and the car. As I entered the scene people were now moving away from the scene and I remember particularly a man wearing a Hi-Viz vest telling me “not to look as it was horrific”. I asked him what he meant, he pointed to an upturned child’s car seat in the middle of the road. I was now stood in the middle of the debris trying to take in and process what I could see. Several people were moving around the scene but appeared disorientated some with their head in their hands.

I then shouted at the nearest person to ensure emergency services had been called, I looked slightly to my left and down and now saw that the upturned child’s seat had a child still strapped in.  I now noticed a substantial amount of bright red blood pooled around the child’s head which was on its side facing away from me towards the verge. I dropped my first aid kit and knelt down and whilst looking at the child opened my bag and started to put some latex gloves on, I noticed a woman had knelt beside me and reached in to my bag and got some gloves. I remember making eye contact with her and she said her name was Jo and informed me she was a trained responder with the Red Cross.

It was as I knelt to assess the child, that my training and teaching kicked in. I needed to focus on the priorities and try to, in some way, ignore the emotional aspect that this was a child (18 months old I was informed later) I was examining. I looked to my training to help me through the next process and examined the child. He was not breathing and on further examination it was clear that he was beyond my help. Looking around the scene it was clear that most people were doing nothing but looking on in horror. I looked to Jo who had now broken down and was sobbing as I asked her to find something to cover the child. I looked to the vehicle on its side and noticed people moving away from the vehicle. I moved towards the vehicle which looked unstable as it was moving slightly from side to side, with smoke coming out of the engine, I again shouted to anybody that would listen to come to the vehicle and support it from further movement. I went to the side of the vehicle which was closest to me, which was the roof. I looked over into the (drivers side) and found the driver trapped in his seat by both his seat belt and the car seats. He had his eyes open and staring blankly. He was unresponsive and as I attempted to check if he was breathing it became clear that there was nothing I could do to help him.

Looking around at the scene and those around me, most looking helpless and unable to act, I again shouted to ensure Emergency Services had been called.

It was then, as I looked around the scene that I heard a faint cry, almost imperceptible. Yet again I shouted at the people around me and asked for silence, be quiet, I shouted. Thankfully they all responded and for a second you could hear a pin drop. That was all I needed to hear again this muffled cry. I looked into the vehicle as best I could and saw nothing but a tangled mess, but still heard that tiny noise. I again looked to those around me and again asked them to support the vehicle. I moved around to the rear and slowly edged my way into the wreck as best I could. (I’m not a small person). As I crawled in through the rear window space the noise was clearer, then as I looked over the back seat I saw a tiny infant hanging from a car seat with his head in the ground but wriggling and crying.

I shouted to the people holding the vehicle that I had discovered a baby. I tried to reach in and found it very difficult, but could just reach the lower body and seat belt. I had a huge decision to make. The baby was breathing and moving but clearly in distress. On visually examining the baby I also noticed a large piece of glass in the baby’s forehead. My training and knowledge kicking in, do I move the child (thinking about possible spinal injuries in what was clearly a high impact injury) or just monitor until the emergency services arrive. I decided to try to recover the child based on its current position, (virtually upside down) and the possibility of the vehicle moving and further trapping the child, or even worse the car catching fire. I reached in and unclipped the car seat strap and holding onto the baby as best I could, I slowly eased us both out of the vehicle. I now had the baby on my arm, face down but still wriggling and making crying noises. People wanted to take the child out of my hands and take it into a nearby cottage. I refused and asked for a blanket and kept the child laid on my arm so I could monitor breathing and keep in a position in order to keep his airway open should he lose consciousness. He went quiet a few times and I did my best to stimulate a response which fortunately I always got. I examined the infant as best as I could for any other serious injuries of severe bleeding, which mercifully there were none apparent. The embedded piece of glass in his forehead looked very deep and I was concerned for his wellbeing, but dared not remove it for fear it would cause further damage. It was the longest 20 mins of my life until the Air Ambulance arrived.

The Air Ambulance landed in a nearby field just as the Police and the road Ambulance arrived. A young policeman was the first to approach me and I did my best to give him an account the situation as I saw it. I also asked him to please get a blanket to cover the child in the road. I also explained that I was concerned that there may be a missing passenger as I thought at the time it was unusual for children so young just to be with their father. Fortunately, this turned out to be the case and mum was not in the vehicle.

  After initial examination, the Air Ambulance Paramedic decided the baby was in a critical condition and needed to evacuate immediately. This they did within minutes and they disappeared off to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Newcastle.

This left me with the aftermath of the Police, Land Ambulance and the now arrived Fire Service to deal with, which is a story all its own.

However, the main point is, by following my training and teaching I could help in rescuing and saving the baby’s life. (2 Month old Baby Logan went on to fully recover after being in intensive care for 3 weeks and is now at home with his mum. He lost his Dad and Brother in this horrific accident but thankfully he pulled through).

I was eventually called to give evidence at the inquests and had to recount the whole experience again with Mum present, which I found a very difficult, thankfully the Coroner asked me to be generic with the most horrific detail, which I have been in this recounting. My official statement to the police took over 4 hours to record in graphic detail, which I now realise is why the coroner asked for my presence at the inquest.

Somewhat bizarrely the Coroner was the same as had presided over my only other experience of a coroner’s court (Carl Morris) and remembered me.

I was glad to be there, glad I could make a difference, wish we could get more people trained and give them the confidence to act…………..

Just a thought……

When night falls and the plough shines bright,

Look around in the shadows, cast by its glow in the night.

Its dark, too dark to see, as the shadow remains,

Movement you will find, caused by your sway and stagger and,

Search, with eyes keener than the kestrel or Owl,

Look for a glimmer, a speck, a hint, but nothing more.

 

Yet in that darkness, when you see the shadow,

Your mind will find all that you seek,

As you raise your head to the heavens and see it there…. A plough,

A hint, a faint glimmer of light that draws you closer,

Closer yet you need to be, to see what your mind can see,

But unless Icarus, you are doomed to fail……. yet.

 

,,,,,,, as your eyes deceive, the shadow lifts,

For now you see, what the world can see,

A shadow covered by night, yet still there,

See your soul reflected in the darkness but only in shadow,

Your heart leaps, for you see, the dark, the light, the spark,

As the dark is lifted before the dawn, that spark, cleaner and brighter, but, a shadow still,

“I’m here!” an echo calls. But, before our eyes, can spy that tiny glimmer of hope,

A cloud passes, wandering through the night.

 

A star they say, Nay! say I, just a remembered spark or cry.

The shadow lifts the sun spreading into a new day,

The brightness covers the shadow and is gone,

Yet in your mind, you still find it etched upon your heart and soul.

What is this you see?……. yet don’t, within a brightening shadow.

 

This is where you will find me, a spark, etched upon the morning’s dawn.

And as the plough enters the day’s brightness, search and you will see me.

For there I sit, a tiny twinkle, even upon the dawn,

Watching now, and for evermore through brightness and shadow,

Be saddened not, for pain cannot reach me, I’m shining now,

Reach out Mia and touch me.

 

I reach down, a spark from the shadow,

“Look at me now!” I cry, flying through a darkened dawn,

Follow my spark, follow my shadow, put away that sorrow,

You don’t need it now……………

Lift up your eyes, lift up your heart, look to the dawn, now as I shine,

This is where you will find me, a spark, with the plough wrapped around me.

Come night or day, forever I’ll stay, within your sight to see me.