Life saved yesterday thanks to training

[Twitch231]

Greetings, I'm new around here, I'm a sort of hangaround at ZSC003 here in Niagara Canada. I'm an ex volunteer firefighter, hunter, fisherman, outdoorsman of varying success. I grew up on a farm, lived miles from town most of my life, and spent the last decade living on the outskirts of town. There are a lot of atv trails out this way, and one runs near to one of my favourite fishing holes. Never really catch anything large there, but the kids like it cause they can pull small fish out one after the other. It thrills them, so it makes me immensely happy.

Yesterday (August 16th 2011) I took my youngest son fishing there. He had been bugging me all day. Earlier I had promised to take him to a completely different spot, but other circumstances prevailed and I did not have use of my van by the time we were ready to go. We bought a dozen worms and headed out to the canal banks to drown some worms, with the idea that we would leave when the worms were gone. Right around the time we were getting ready to leave, say about 7:30 - 7:45 an ATV came whipping down the trail. Around a bend there were 4 small children playing (why and with no adult is another story/conversation). There are berms on either side of the gravel road at this point, and I am certain that the driver did not see those children till he was on top of them. I heard the gravel scatter, the atv flipped.... I called over to see if anyone was hurt, but got no response, so I grabbed what I could carry, told my son to grab the rest and headed over.

About halfway there one of the kids came up and said the man was bleeding badly, so I increased my pace. Then another atv which just headed in that direction came back and the driver told me to call 911 as the other fellow was bleeding to death right on the road. I told him I had no cell phone, he told me to go call at a house, I told him that since he had an atv, he should go, and I would tend to the wounded driver.... dropped everything and ran the next 50 yards (I am a LARGE man, I don't run often).

When I got to the scene i couldn't believe my eyes, there was blood everywhere, I located the man leaning up against a guardrail, he was covered in blood. I could see he was bleeding from his upper right arm, but I was not prepared for what I saw on closer examination. Everything on the inside of his arm, from his armpit to his elbow, was ripped right out, the lymph gland was dangling, and his arm was almost completely severed at the shoulder. I had to work fast so I ripped off my shirt. I had to move his arm to get it properly in place, but I was always taught life over limb, I quickly got it around his shoulder above the wound and tied it as tight as I could.

I could easily see that this was not going to be enough, and looked around for a stick, anything to increase the pressure, but nothing was handy. I knew if I left him it would be worse, but luckily right then my son approached and I told him to find a stick. He did, and I used it to twist the makeshift tourniquet as tight as possible. I was later informed by the er doctors and the family of the man that these actions saved the mans life.

I propped him up on my chest/lap to prevent him from moving too much or falling (my clothes were covered in blood when I got home) and kept talking to him, asked his name, his age, what he did for a living, where he lived, what school he had gone to, anything to keep him with me. Several times his eyes rolled back in his head and I lightly slapped his cheek and told him to stay with me. Several times he told me he couldn't breathe and I told him he damn well better cause he was too ugly for me to want to perform cpr on him, it made him smile and relax a bit. I was with him about 20 minutes till the emergency crews arrived.

It was bad... when the emt's took my makeshift tourniquet off to place a compression bandage on the wound blood spurted out almost straight in front of him and his face got white, up till then he had had normal colouring and was alert and coherent. Had he lost anymore blood I doubt he would have made it to the hospital, it was like I had gotten there in the nick of time.

He was taken to the hospital and then airlifted to a trauma center in a larger city for emergency surgery.

As of this writing the man has gone through 6 hours of surgery where they took blood vessels from his leg and placed them in his arm. He is currently listed as stable but critical, and is in a drug induced coma. His family tells me he has a 50% chance of keeping his arm, provided no serious infection sets in he should keep it but have limited use as his entire bicep was ripped right out. He also has a 50% chance of survival, which I guess is better than 0.

Anyway, article herehttp://www.wellandtribune.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3260642, I am praying for this man... imagine if your last conscious 20 minutes were spent looking at the face of a fat ugly biker?

I am very thankful that my training and experience allowed me to help. It was like I was on autopilot, these lessons had been drilled in my head repeatedly. I didn't have to think, I just reacted... which is good because I think it took me an hour or so to get complete brain function back and to stop shaking.

[TacAir]

Good-o

Now that you have your breath back...

What would you do differently?

What is the one thig you MUST do now or very shortly?

[CRags99]

Well played, sir. Well played.

[Horatio_Tyllis]

I think the first thing he needs is a new t shirt. :p. Good job Kirk. We need to get you a kit.

[Twitch231]

Good-o

Now that you have your breath back...

What would you do differently?

What is the one thig you MUST do now or very shortly?

Lose some weight so I can get there faster???? LOL no I think this:

<snip for pertinence>We need to get you a kit.

I assume he refers to a first aid kit........ I should have something in my pack... you just never think you're gonna need it like this, and so close to home, but so far from help.

[jnathan]

An excellent story indeed. Thanks for sharing and thanks for keeping a calm and level head so that you were able to save a life.

-Jeff

[AZMedic]

Good work and I do have to say why the hell would the EMTs take the TQ off....stupid stupid stupid....you did an amazing job and talking to him was as good as the TQ ok its close since he had something to concentrate on and it does help

[98pointsix]

imagine if your last conscious 20 minutes were spent looking at the face of a fat ugly biker?

Sounds like my bachelor party.
Way to act bro, and welcome to ZS.
Check out the stickies they have some great info on building you a kit.
Thanks for sharing your experience.

[aus.templar]

Great job mate, top form

[Twitch231]

Good work and I do have to say why the hell would the EMTs take the TQ off....stupid stupid stupid....you did an amazing job and talking to him was as good as the TQ ok its close since he had something to concentrate on and it does help

I was wondering the same thing, I know it wasn't the most sanitary piece of cloth there, but the blood had already clotted to it... when they removed it, they tore the clot off. It also took them 2 tries to get the compression bandage and cuff on. He had good colour up till then... he was white as a sheet when they were done with that. I think at that point germs were the least of his worries, life over limb.

The talking was training from the fire dept, as we were first responders in a rural area and often the first on the scene waiting for the townies to show up. Keeping them talking keeps them conscious which could keep shock from killing them. Also when emergency services arrived, I had all his vital personal information. By the time they finished with their compression bandage, he was not as coherent as he was during the 20 minutes I sat with him. They were able to contact his family, and have his records ready at the hospital when he got there as a result.

2 birds, 1 stone

[lowjohn19]

Good job sir.

[ehunter72]

Good job,

You did exactly what a First Responder is sapposed to do, and this guy owe's you his life.

I am not sure why they would have removed the TQ, thats a no no.

I have a suggestion for you.

Even though you have written it here, go back and right down everything in a notebook, I mean everything, including what treatment was given, when, and what conditions you observed. I absolutly believe you would be coverd by Good SAM, However them removing the TQ COULD become an issue if the feller dies. You want to have everything written if you have to go to court and testify on the familys behalf, etc.
Just a suggestion,

PS get tested, due may have had the HAGS, or worse....might consider getting a cocktail till your sure.

[throwback]

Well done, sir! May we all react so well when the unexpected jumps out at us.

[jamoni]

Awesome! Good job! Now go get tested. See if you can get a local hospital to foot the bill with publicity:
"Local hospital provides free blood tests to awesome hero, story at 11"

[Horatio_Tyllis]

Awesome! Good job! Now go get tested. See if you can get a local hospital to foot the bill with publicity:
"Local hospital provides free blood tests to awesome hero, story at 11"

We're in Canada, it's doesn't cost us out of pocket to go to the hospital.

[painiac]

Excellent job. You did everything right, and improvisation is the most important skill you can have in such a situation.

It's unlikely anything will come of it, but since liability is such a big part of our job you should definitely do as suggested and write down everything you can remember while it's still fresh in your mind. Also, should the patient or his family send you a gift, refuse it. Here in the states, anyway, Good Samaritan laws do not protect you if you accept any form of compensation, and a dirty Ambulance Chaser trick is to send the target a nice watch or something as a "thank-you gift" and then sue the fuck out of him when he accepts it.

[Kutter_0311]

Good job, guy! I should send you one of my 'spare' trauma kits, but with my luck, I'd need it then...

I built a set of standardized kits in Tactical Tailor Medic Pouches(link) that contain plenty of kerlix, a roll of Celox trauma gauze, a SWAT TQ, a couple Ashermans, 6" Izzies, a mylar emergency space blanket, and a roll of backpacking duct tape. It's pretty dense, but well organized, and it can clip onto the outside of a bag or belt(or the back of a car headrest).

By building standardized kits, I know what's in all of them, and there's always one in reach...

[Jeriah]

Rad. Well done!

For next time, the take-aways are a given: cardio, and build (and carry!) a blowout kit. But you did a hell of a lot more than most would/could have. I know what to do in theory but in practice...no clue. So kudos!

[KMAC179]

strong work bud. Wasnt there, dont know the circumstances 100%, but it sounds like that TQ should have stayed on, may have been a potentially fatal error on EMS part. But who knows.

[mough]

Awesome job, definitely something to be proud of. How did your kid deal with all the blood and gore?

Samaritan laws or not, this guy owes you at least a beer

[Twitch231]

I just got off the phone with the man's mother. He has been moved from ICU to a Step Down unit, is conscious, moved 3 fingers today, has full recall of everything that happened up till they put him in the air ambulance, and really wants to see me and my son.

As for what I would do differently next time... nothing... same circumstances, same response. I could not watch a man die, or leave him to die alone, just because I was unsure that I would get sick by helping him. This may seem foolish to some, but I couldn't live with myself if I did.

However....

That said, I got a real wake-up call on preparedness. I have always had a first aid kit which I put together, in my van (along with enough tools and jacks to take apart and rebuild my van) but nothing in my tackle box. I have purchased a new larger tackle box and have reserved 1 compartment for gloves, gauze, mask, antiseptic etc. I don't like cell phones, but I'm going to be putting a portable cb in there too, which I can use to either communicate on channel 9, or relay through my gf on our base at home.

Excellent job. You did everything right, and improvisation is the most important skill you can have in such a situation.

It's unlikely anything will come of it, but since liability is such a big part of our job you should definitely do as suggested and write down everything you can remember while it's still fresh in your mind. Also, should the patient or his family send you a gift, refuse it. Here in the states, anyway, Good Samaritan laws do not protect you if you accept any form of compensation, and a dirty Ambulance Chaser trick is to send the target a nice watch or something as a "thank-you gift" and then sue the fuck out of him when he accepts it.

Awesome job, definitely something to be proud of. How did your kid deal with all the blood and gore?

Samaritan laws or not, this guy owes you at least a beer

My son was fantastic... he remained still and quiet across the gravel road without even being told to. My son has special needs, and is on the high functioning end of the Autism spectrum... I believe it was the first time in his life he remained still and silent for more than 2 minutes while conscious, which allowed me to focus on the injured man. I told him he's my hero.

He was fine with the blood, and very matter of fact about the entire situation... other than bragging to everyone about his dad. He even took the news crew over after and showed them "this is where the blood is....".

I told the family already no thanks is needed. I wasn't aware of the Good Samaritan loopholes, and I doubt it applies here in Canada (we are a bit less litigious than you lot in the States it seems), I just don't feel that I did anything special. I did what I was trained to do, and what I ought to have done, nothing more nothing less. Am I proud of myself... yes. Do I feel I am owed anything, hell no.

As for the beer, I already told his GF and mother that all I want is to be kept informed, and, when he is able, for him to come over so I can buy HIM a beer, shake his hand for putting himself in harms way to avoid hitting those kids, and kick him in the ass for riding alone in the middle of nowhere.

Good job, guy! I should send you one of my 'spare' trauma kits, but with my luck, I'd need it then...

I built a set of standardized kits in Tactical Tailor Medic Pouches(link) that contain plenty of kerlix, a roll of Celox trauma gauze, a SWAT TQ, a couple Ashermans, 6" Izzies, a mylar emergency space blanket, and a roll of backpacking duct tape. It's pretty dense, but well organized, and it can clip onto the outside of a bag or belt(or the back of a car headrest).

By building standardized kits, I know what's in all of them, and there's always one in reach...

Yes I was definitely wishing I had one of those blankets which could easily have fit in my tackle box... I managed to keep him from succumbing to shock, but it probably would have been easier if I could have covered him some. Duct tape LOL will the real Red Green please stand up! When I worked in the bush as a logger, I used to carry maxipads and duct tape in my kit. Hit my knee with the tip of the saw once (kickback... was a stump under where I was cutting through the log and the tip flew up when it got far enough through the log), came in right handy.


Thanks for all the feedback guys (and gals if applicable). Much appreciated

[Quad-Response]

Very well done buddy, staying calm in the heat of the moment can prove to be tough at the best of times but you managed and so it seems did your son. As for kit, you managed so don't dwell too much on the ifs and buts.

I have a rule with kit that goes as follows: better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Something that has paid off more than once for me, I don't go excessive but I make sure I can go through the ABC's quickly and more importantly 'effectively'

You did a great Job, a heart still beats because of your actions - very well done

[Nesrath]

You sir deserve a pallet of beer delievered to your house. ZS needs to start a hero fund =P

Great job, glad to hear he is recovering.

[Twitch231]

I visited the man yesterday, they say he lost 4 litres of blood. He had lost 3 inches of his Brachial artery, and they spent 4.5 hours grafting one from his thigh in place. It seems to have been a success, he was moving 3 of his fingers quite well.

He was sitting on the edge of his bed texting on his phone, laughing and joking. If you saw video of him from the neck up, you would never guess he was a patient in a hospital, let alone that he had come close to death just several days ago. It was so amazing.