Well this is something I wasn’t expecting to be writing so soon if at all but this afternoon I had the opportunity to put Sunday’s training into practice. I’d like to say it went swimmingly and, looking back, the training worked but I failed to do one thing, I don’t know why, and it is really bugging me.
I was out for a walk, it was nearly dark and I was about 100 yards from home when I heard a noise behind me. Loud enough to make me turn round but initially I couldn’t see anything. After a moment I realised there was someone lying in the road which was only one lane wide at that point because of cars parked on the road.
<o
></o>
With a car approaching the chap lying in the road, the training did kick in. I got the car stopped and got the driver to block the road and stop traffic from the other direction. The chap in the road had, we think, hit a parked car on his bicycle and gone flying.
<o></o>
By the time I got to him after stopping the traffic, he had got up but was very unsteady and was already beginning to slump against a car and I insisted he lay down. He had a badly cut face. By this time I had asked one of the drivers who had stopped to get an ambulance. I removed his helmet in the approved fashion – possibly not necessary but his head was rolling on the ground.
<o></o>
He was conscious throughout but some while later complained of pains and then pins and needles in his arms. I managed to get him to lie still but I didn’t hold his head. I don’t know why and this has really unsettled me – it was what we were told to do after all and was the obvious thing to do.
<o></o>
Apart from stopping the blood running into his eyes, checking he wasn’t feeling sick and reassuring him, there wasn’t much else I could do.
<o></o>
Fortunately 3 doctors have moved in near us recently (I didn’t know they were doctors until today!) so a couple of them came out (including Julia who is already one week overdue and looked more in need of the ambulance than the victim!) and they took charge.
<o></o>
The ambulance seemed to take forever but I suspect arrived quite quickly and they spent a lot of time and care getting him onto the stretcher and loaded up and away. (And there was still one group of lads in a car who tried to get round the vehicles and people blocking the traffic!).
<o></o>
The paramedics seemed relaxed about his symptoms but the doctors were very concerned. The docs reassured me there was nothing else I could have done and any damage had already occurred. I just hope he’s OK.
<o></o>
Sorry for the length of this – it helps to get it “on paper”. Did I handle it better than I would have done this time last week? Definitely. Could I have done better? Also definitely.
<o></o>
<o></o>
I was out for a walk, it was nearly dark and I was about 100 yards from home when I heard a noise behind me. Loud enough to make me turn round but initially I couldn’t see anything. After a moment I realised there was someone lying in the road which was only one lane wide at that point because of cars parked on the road.
<o
></o>With a car approaching the chap lying in the road, the training did kick in. I got the car stopped and got the driver to block the road and stop traffic from the other direction. The chap in the road had, we think, hit a parked car on his bicycle and gone flying.
<o
></o>By the time I got to him after stopping the traffic, he had got up but was very unsteady and was already beginning to slump against a car and I insisted he lay down. He had a badly cut face. By this time I had asked one of the drivers who had stopped to get an ambulance. I removed his helmet in the approved fashion – possibly not necessary but his head was rolling on the ground.
<o
></o>He was conscious throughout but some while later complained of pains and then pins and needles in his arms. I managed to get him to lie still but I didn’t hold his head. I don’t know why and this has really unsettled me – it was what we were told to do after all and was the obvious thing to do.
<o
></o>Apart from stopping the blood running into his eyes, checking he wasn’t feeling sick and reassuring him, there wasn’t much else I could do.
<o
></o>Fortunately 3 doctors have moved in near us recently (I didn’t know they were doctors until today!) so a couple of them came out (including Julia who is already one week overdue and looked more in need of the ambulance than the victim!) and they took charge.
<o
></o>The ambulance seemed to take forever but I suspect arrived quite quickly and they spent a lot of time and care getting him onto the stretcher and loaded up and away. (And there was still one group of lads in a car who tried to get round the vehicles and people blocking the traffic!).
<o
></o>The paramedics seemed relaxed about his symptoms but the doctors were very concerned. The docs reassured me there was nothing else I could have done and any damage had already occurred. I just hope he’s OK.
<o
></o>Sorry for the length of this – it helps to get it “on paper”. Did I handle it better than I would have done this time last week? Definitely. Could I have done better? Also definitely.
<o
></o><o
></o>
