17 July 2008

Safety reminder

I think the universe might have been trying to tell me something. This week, I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course. I managed to successfully complete both the written and riding skills portion, including completing the U-turn maneuver completely within the prescribed area for the first time during the test. Anyway, I knew this course was coming up because I had to register for it in March, so I've been waiting all summer to get my license. A note for those who don't know, New Hampshire does not have a helmet law for anyone over 18.

Saturday night we were dispatched for motorcycle accident on the highway. Updated en route for CPR in progress, an EMT-Basic student riding with us getting a bit agitated to do compressions for real. On scene, find a LOT of blood running down the highway, three or four bystanders, someone doing chest compressions. As we're working, the FD finds more information for us, including the location of the rider's helmet. Securely attached to the back seat of the motorcycle. Ultimately, the patient died. We were still at the hospital when the ME arrived and was kind enough to talk with us while he performed the exam. I swear he looked nearly uninjured except for the massive head injuries.

Just a safety reminder to wear your helmets and for me to ride as safely as possible.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm guessing that you took the test with your helmet in place. . . .on your coconut. L,D

Unknown said...

Did I ever tell you about the car vs. motorcycle I did when I was actively working shifts at Tri-Town? The rider - like your patient - had no helmet attached to his head. My defensive reflexes took over when we got to our patient. Blood all over the road. He was face down, had on a hoodie with it up on his head. I swear to God he looked like the roaming gnome.....

Anonymous said...

NETHERLANDS-AMBULANCE BIKES
Paramedics in the Netherlands are fighting traffic and high gas prices by using bikes. A spokesman for Amsterdam's Ambulance Dispatch Center says three bikes outfitted with first aid supplies, including medicines, defibrillators, and oxygen tanks, have been added to its fleet of emergency response vehicles. The equipment is carried in a compact baggage rack on the back of the bikes. The spokesman says "the only thing they don't have is a stretcher.'' Bicyclists can get past snarled traffic and blocked roads inaccessible to cars. The bikes cost roughly $13,300 each, which is cheap compared to buying a new ambulance.
FYI