1st on a bad wreck today...weird experience.

[SeabeeMan]

Pmer, I didn't think of that, good point. As I said, my doctor was able to go through his channels and get a test done, so we have some peace of mind now.

[MtGun44]

You absolutely did the right thing, probably saved a life with that serious bleeding. Unless you had
an open wound, you should be OK, although for some extremely virulent diseases (rare)
blood splashed into an eye or mouth could transmit something.

Well done, sir. Hope someone like you is around if I ever need help, not everyone
will help out, I found, to my surprise.

I helped out at a single car wreck with a seriously burned victim. Shocked that about a dozen
folks that had gotten there before I had were just standing up on the overpass and staring,
doing nothing at all to help the victim. Just amazed the heck out of me. Those folks never
did come to help.

When the local FD arrived, and offered O2, the firewoman just handed me and the second
person that had finally arrived to help, the bag with the O2 kit, and let us do it, kinda like
she had no idea how to use it. I do SCUBA diving, so knew how to put the regulator on,
turn on the valve and then get the mask on the victim. Fortunately, a life flight helo arrived
and took the victim to the hospital.

I'm amazed at how poorly many people can respond in a bad situation. Doesn't take a rocket
scientist to help someone.

Bill

[TXGunNut]

In defense of the not-so-helpful bystanders and even a few cops, some folks are not ready to deal with badly injured people. My brother would give you the shirt off his back but blood or needles make him very queasy. Dunno how he dresses game, but I digress. First cop on the scene assessed your skill level correctly and did the right thing, he protected the scene. First priority is to stabilize injured victim(s) and you were doing that. Second priority is to protect the scene to protect you and the injured person. I don't know what his kit contained but I don't have high hopes in most cases. Yes, the EMT's should have taken your report but replacing your makeshift tourniquet was also SOP.
And yes, this biker is alive because of you. I suspect you're in the prayers of his family and loved ones.

[HangFireW8]

Some first responders appreciate useful people, some feel their job security is threatened.

I worked with an eagle scout that said the first thing out if the first aid box was always the gloves. I keep a pair of HD nitrile mechanics gloves in each car tool box. Good enough to protect me and better than bare hands for them.

[oldred]

Maybe a bit off the exact topic here but this thread reminded me of an incident a couple of years ago concerning first responders and cops. My wife and I were watching TV one night about 11:30 when I heard a crash in the distance that sounded like maybe an accident had happened. Turns out a car had left the road and crossed a muddy area then crashed into a berm at the edge of a creek where it had caught fire, the noise we had heard was apparently the gas tank exploding. The driver, an older fellow in his seventies, had managed to crawl away from the car before the fire started and he was quite apparently incoherent. When the cops/ambulance arrived they treated this poor guy like dirt! Remarks liking F------ drunk B------, etc and the fact they seemed totally unconcerned with his well-being made it obvious they had already tried and convicted him of DUI and felt his predicament was good enough for him. I am not exaggerating, they did almost nothing in the way of examining him and just literally tossed him onto the gurney while the cops kept trying to ask him how much he had to drink! Turns out the guy was a well respected jewelery store owner who was returning home from checking up on his store, he had not been drinking and it turns out that he had suffered a stroke from which he never fully recovered. He was left paralyzed and died in a nursing home a little over a year later, whether his condition was made worse by his disrespectful treatment is something we will never know but I still get angry every time I think about what happened that night.

[Owen49]

Thank you for doing what you did. I pray you continue in good health. Sorry about the disrespect you suffered at the actions of the "professionals".

[bullet maker 57]

I have done as you did and will do it again if needed. As someone said above "we have to help each other" I was an EMT back in the late 70s. Just about the time aids first appeared. Scary back then. I understand your concern. Stay well.

[Blanco]

Your story is strikingly familiar.
I had a slightly different situation in that there were 6 cars involved in the accident and one motorcyclist. I was one of the 6 but the last car to be hit.
Even though I got hit pretty hard. I saw the motorcyclist get hit and I knew it was going to be bad. The second I could stop I was out and had my belt on his leg. He had multiple compound fractures of his left leg and was ln immense pain and pumping like a gusher.
I never second guessed it I knew he needed help now.
I would guess about 4 minutes went by. Like your situation. The cops assessed the situation and started directing traffic.
An EMT showed up at about 5 minutes and the first guy there handed me gloves. I told them what I was doing and they did a quick check on him and loaded him up. The fellow on the bike was rather huge, I would guess about 6'5" and the young EMT kept wanting to probe the wound on his leg. The Biker told the kid he was a preacher and if he stuck a finger in there again he was going to lose his religion and become violent.
Little did I know that I myself had back injuries that are with me to this day. I was running on adrenaline at the time and didn't notice til the next day. I found out when I almost could not walk the next morning.

[FredBuddy]

Bless you !

[FISH4BUGS]

Ditto for me. I was the first on a head on at about 60 mph. It happened in front of me by about 50 yds or so. I didn't have to do any first aid. Both victims were splattered all over the interior.
I couldn't raise a cell signal, so the next person on the accident stayed while I drove down the highway to a country store. A couple of the EMT's happened to be having breakfast and flew out of there in a heartbeat. I returned to the scene to do my citizen duty as the only witness.
Being the only eyewitness, the police asked me to stay and describe the event, which I did probably 6 times to 6 different people, including the accident reconstruction people. Apparently the one driver fell asleep at the wheel and drove head on into the other car at about 60 mph. Perefect dead on shot. Both cars went up about 3 feet, did a quarter turn and came down.
Everyone was very professional. It was also a very small town in New Hampshire (Stoddard) and I am sure the people knew at least one of the victims; a woman that had just left her house to go to the grocery store.
Sorry for your experience.......not only traumatic for you, but your experience with the EMT's.

[C. Latch]

1) You did good
2) The people who responded in an official capacity did what they were trained to do, and that's a good thing, in some ways; they don't know you and have no clue as to how or how well you are trained
3) Even if they did know you or even if the quality of your work had been self-evident, we live in a society where we're expected to perform a certain role in society and be 'professional' about it, and professionals hate self-reliant people who can multitask. You can thank public schools and your government for this sad situation.

The take home point, here, is that 1) You did good. Very good.

[rking22]

looking thru this thread ,it seems times have changed for the worse. Surprise there ,right ! I was in college and driving a 2 lane an hour each way. One evening the car in front of me, about 1/2 mile, just ran off the road on a straight section and flipped several times. I was first there and the elderly driver was badly pinned and had no pulse. As I stood there debating what to do ,every car that passed stopped! Several came down to see if they could help including a nurse. As she checked the driver we hear a baby cry. The child was under the front seat, and also pinned. Without the help of those other folks I would have never been able to get her out. While this was going on someone had gone up the road and called the police,several were directing traffic, and another had disconnected the battery and brought fire extenishers. All without comment or request. When the ambulance arrived the nurse went with the baby and most all left . I stayed as a witness for the police. later found that the driver had a heart attack and died before leaving the road. Point is in, 1979 EVERY passerby offered what they could without a thought. The child was her grandaughter.

[Four-Sixty]

I dated a paramedic once. They are JADED. There is a lot of emotional toll involved. Indifference helps them keep some shred of sanity.

[arclight]

Rich,

I've been there too. I'm a current EMT in my state, although I do search and rescue rather than working on a rig. The only thing it buys me when we're not in uniform and come up on a wreck is _slightly_ more gentle treatment from the PD and EMS. I agree that those folks can be a little grumpy. Try not to let this experience get you down - you did exactly the right thing and no doubt contributed to him having a better outcome. Like most times when you do the right thing, it's pretty thankless, but you know what you did and should be proud.

In your case, I think the first cops on the scene actually did the right thing - they were directing traffic and making sure you and the victim didn't get run over (it happens!)

Anyway, blood on your hands is no big deal as long as your skin doesn't have any open wounds on it. You should also watch your eyes if there is a lot of blood slinging around. If you think you got cut or stuck with something sharp and blood entered your body, you should get the standard tests the local urgent care recommended.

Otherwise, just wash your hands and forearms with plenty of soap and hot water.

Wash contaminated clothes with bleach or throw them away. And for anything else that got contaminated, like your door handles, steering wheel or shoes, wipe it down with a rag soaked in a mild bleach and soap solution.

Here is an SOP I just pulled down from a fire department. It's pretty similar:

http://rogersar.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/1193

If you're thinking about putting together a first aid kit for yourself, I made up a free guide if anyone wants to download it. Check out:

http://www.23.org/~arclight/firstaid...id_booklet.pdf

Arclight
Arclight

[MaryB]

I was an EMT for 5 years after high school. After cleaning up the remains of a friend who hit a curb in a parking lot on his Honda then went over the bars and landed face first I quit. No helmet so it was bad. The stress and not knowing if the next victim is family or a friend did me in.

[SeabeeMan]

Again, thanks to everyone for the support and guidance. With a few days gone by now and some negative blood tests from the victim, the adrenaline and frustration have worn off. I definitely see how all others on scene filled their roles even if it wasn't to my liking at the moment. I completely understand getting jaded when you've seen to much. It's how I was/am after coming back from the desert.

[waksupi]

I was an EMT for 5 years after high school. After cleaning up the remains of a friend who hit a curb in a parking lot on his Honda then went over the bars and landed face first I quit. No helmet so it was bad. The stress and not knowing if the next victim is family or a friend did me in.

Things can affect people in different ways. My younger brother, who is a member here, responded to the call when my dad died. Rather than quitting after that, he went beyond EMT, and got a nursing degree. He felt that he may have been able to do more, if he would have had more knowledge. He now works full time at Iowa City in the emergency room. Being a small rural area where he lives, he knew pretty much everyone he ever responded to at an accident scene.

[lefty o]

you did good. not being there i wont blast the cop, but have been left feeling the same way. few years ago i pulled a oyung lady out of a fairly bad roll over in a pretty steep ditch just after a bridge. thankfully she had a seatbelt on and wasnt hurt badly, i ended up bleeding worse than she did from crawling through the broken glass. now a cop showed up reasonably quickly after my friend called 911, and he was there a 4-5min before EMS. we were a good 100+ft down in the ditch away from the road, and that cop never left pavement. the one and only thing he was concerned with was who had been drinking! that left a bad taste in my mouth for that cop, take care of business first, then worry about generating revenue with tickets later.

[arclight]

you did good. not being there i wont blast the cop, but have been left feeling the same way. few years ago i pulled a oyung lady out of a fairly bad roll over in a pretty steep ditch just after a bridge. thankfully she had a seatbelt on and wasnt hurt badly, i ended up bleeding worse than she did from crawling through the broken glass. now a cop showed up reasonably quickly after my friend called 911, and he was there a 4-5min before EMS. we were a good 100+ft down in the ditch away from the road, and that cop never left pavement. the one and only thing he was concerned with was who had been drinking! that left a bad taste in my mouth for that cop, take care of business first, then worry about generating revenue with tickets later.

I've also seen a CHP (California Highway Patrol) officer hike over a mile in his dress shoes to see if an over-the-side car suicide had anyone left alive. I think a lot depends on the training and attitude fostered by the agency. CHPs get EMT or first-responder training and seem to have a "help people as best you can" theme from the top. Other agencies have a more combat-like attitude, i.e. the first aid kit is there in case the officer gets shot and not for general use.

Arclight

[varmintpopper]

You may also get Yourself prepared to answer his lawyers questions about how You aggravated the wounds and caused more damage. I know the Guy would have possible died but that is all behind Him now, He may come looking for His Bread and butter for the remainder of his life. I applaud You Sir for helping this Fellow, But be careful.

Good Shooting

Lindy