The alarm went off at about ten-fifteen pm. The police scanner reported an accident north of I80 on Dubuque Street along the river. Rick and his crew of EMTs went immediately into action. As their driver got the coordinates, Rick readied the supplies that would be needed to administer emergency medical aid. The driver shouted back to them from the front seat that the county sheriff’s department reported at least one fatality so far in the two-car accident.
Drunk driving was the suspected cause, but it was difficult to know for certain at that point. Rick continued checking the IV saline supply to be certain that they had enough on hand for multiple people if it was needed. It didn’t matter much to him what caused the accident. The procedures he followed would be the same no matter what the cause. There would be time for questions and reflections later. He just hoped that they would be able to save the other people involved.
Their ambulance arrived at the scene at the same time as a second ambulance. Another one was en route. Confusion reigned everywhere as people worked to assess damages. It was dark and difficult to see. One sheriff’s deputy was setting up lights. Another deputy was trying to direct traffic around the accident scene while still another was beginning to get witness statements. Gawkers stopped and watched, which lead to further problems and forced two more deputies to move them back. A fire and rescue truck and three patrol cars were already there, and first responders were working on one of the vehicles.
It appeared to be in very bad shape. It was a car. He couldn’t really see the make and model. All that he could see was that the car had a heavily smashed in front end. Responders were using the Jaws of Life to cut through the front driver’s door so that they could free the driver. He couldn’t see the second vehicle.
He began to run to the car first but changed directions when he was called over to an SUV that lay flipped over on its roof at the bottom of the ditch next to the river. It had missed going in by only a few feet. The first responder at the car yelled that it was now too late to save the driver. The woman didn’t make it. Everyone’s focus shifted to working on the people in the SUV. When he got to the top of the incline, he could see that the passenger side of the SUV was smashed in. The front suspension system was broken, and deflated airbags lay limp and flopped over like empty balloons.
There was no mistaking the sounds of pain and fear coming from inside the SUV or ignoring the smells of blood and burnt rubber in the air. It was always the same sounds and smells, and Rick once again pushed aside the flashbacks so that he could focus on what he needed to do to save a life. Carefully, he made his way down the small hill to the SUV. A deputy was there to fill him in on what he knew so far while a responder knelt next to the driver’s door.
“Help him! You have to help him. Please, he’s my brother.” A man’s voice called from inside. His voice was weak and full of pain as he pleaded with the responder to come back. As Rick went to the passenger side, the first responder yelled out instructions to the EMT who was working his way down the hill. The driver was conscious but had a head injury. He also appeared to have some internal injuries, but they wouldn’t know to what extent until he was clear of the vehicle. The passenger, also a male, was unconscious. As yet, they didn’t know how badly he was hurt, but he appeared to be in very bad shape. His side of the vehicle took the impact from the car.
Rick dropped down to his back to check on the passenger. It was the only way that he could see inside and check the man’s vital signs. They would need to cut the door off to free the passenger. It was too smashed in. The EMT took over for the responder at the driver’s door while he called for the tools that they would need. Another moan came from inside the vehicle as the driver cried out for help once again. It was even darker here and impossible to see without a flashlight, so Rick shined his inside.
What he saw made his stomach clench in fear and pain. Kevin was barely conscious and asking Rick’s partner for help with his brother. Hanging upside down, strapped to the passenger seat, was Jeffrey. Blood and broken glass were everywhere.
“We’ll help him. Stay calm,” Rick’s partner said to Kevin as he worked at putting a cervical collar around Kevin’s neck. “Rick, I need some help here. This one keeps fighting me.”
“Rick? Rick, is that you?” Kevin called out his name. He tried to turn his head but couldn’t because of the neck brace. The fear in his voice turned to urgency.
“It’s me, Kevin. Sit still and stop fighting Larry. He needs to make sure that your neck is supported.” As he talked to Kevin, he strapped a pulse monitor to Jeff then checked his vital signs. Jeff’s pulse was weak, but he was alive. His blood pressure was also low but not in the danger zone. He was getting enough oxygen, so there wasn’t a need to intubated him. Thank God for that. It would be difficult to do at this angle. Rick noticed a deep cut on Jeff’s arm that was spitting out blood at an alarming rate, and he exhibited all of the signs of being in shock. Rick quickly tied a band around Jeff’s arm to slow the bleeding and wrapped the wound. While he worked, Larry was telling him of Kevin’s condition.
“He has a few broken ribs, Rick. I can feel them.” Larry pulled his arms out and yelled for help from the deputy and first responder. “How’s the other guy?”
“How’s Jeff? You have to help him, Rick. You have to save him. I didn’t see the car until it was too late. I was looking at his face when I saw the lights. Help him, Rick. Don’t let my brother die.” The fear in Kevin’s voice was almost too much. It kept pulling at Rick and tried to make him feel. He couldn’t feel right then. He had a job to do.
“I’ve got him, Kev. We’ll be able to get Jeff out as soon as we get you out. Let Larry help you.” He stood up and called out to the second set of EMTs. One of them ran over carrying supplies and the responders carried the Jaws of Life. After giving the EMT and the first responder instructions, he got back on his back and shined the flashlight at Jeff again. As carefully as he could, he put a cervical collar around Jeff’s neck to stabilize it then slipped a board behind Jeff’s back. Kevin stopped fighting and let Larry and his partners work at getting him out. He was fairly easy to remove once he stopped fighting. His door wasn’t smashed in.
While Larry and his group removed Kevin, Rick’s group began to work on prying open the passenger door. They took frequent breaks so that Rick could continue to monitor Jeff’s vital signs and report them to the EMT, who radioed them into the trauma center. Once the door was off, Rick went to work on Jeff so that he could be pulled out. His head was bleeding, and he had some broken ribs. Rick could feel them under his fingers. Now that he could see Jeff’s arm clearly, he could see a compound fracture in the ulna bone of his forearm. He also appeared to have a broken clavicle. They wouldn’t know about his spine or his legs until they removed him, and he was checked at the hospital.
As carefully as they could, they pulled Jeff from the passenger seat and put him on a long backboard. It was slow going, and Rick had to wipe his face against his sleeve several times to remove the sweat from his eyes. Once Jeff was free, Rick immediately hooked up two large bore IV saline bags while the EMT continued to monitored Jeff’s pulse and blood pressure. They soon had him in the back of the ambulance and took off as a Priority One emergency. It would only be two miles to the trauma center. Thank God! Rick wasn’t sure how Jeff would do if it were a longer drive. He had already lost a lot of blood.
Fortunately for Jeff, he had received extra attention and was able to be removed rather quickly. This only came about because there was nothing that could be done to save the driver or the passenger in the second vehicle. The passenger had died on impact, and the driver died before they could remove her. The reality of that fact hit Rick hard. Jeff was alive because another person died. The unfairness of it all, the loss of two lives and possibly four, turned his stomach, and the bitter coffee from earlier could be tasted in the bile that rose suddenly to his throat.
He swallowed it back and put his focus back on Jeff. Jeff wasn’t going to die. Not if he could help him. There was still a lot that Rick needed to do to stop the bleeding and help Jeff’s body recover from shock. A warm blanket covered Jeff’s body while Rick went to work on his arm and a gash on his leg. The trauma center medical staff would take over soon and give Jeff the blood transfusion that Rick knew he needed.
The lights of the trauma center came into view, and Rick began to prepare Jeff for the transfer to the emergency room. The EMT had already called in all of Jeff’s information, so Rick knew that he was first in line to receive medical treatment. They pulled into the covered bay and were met by a team of doctors and nurses ready to get to work. Once Jeff was wheeled away, the bay became quiet again. It was almost eerie. Not a sound could be heard except Rick’s heavy breathing and the pounding in his eardrums. Through the glass door built into the block wall, Rick saw flashes of movement that cast shadows on the cement floor of the bay like dancing ghosts. He felt like he was looking at the world from underwater. Every sound and sight was muted and in slow motion.
He sat down on the back bumper, took several deep breaths, and watched the movements. Then he prayed. A few minutes later, after wiping away a few tears, he went back to work again. Everything went back to moving in real time, and he could hear the sounds of a busy trauma center come through the door when it opened as someone walked through. The night wasn’t over yet, and there was still a lot to do. It was time to get to it. Being prepared could be the difference between life and death, and no one else would die that night if he had any say in it.