deadpunk
03-Nov-2009, 03:14 PM
I work at a Residential Treatment Facility for mentally ill children. Yesterday I was saddled with the job of taking a client from the younger boys unit for an eye exam. As a rule, I avoid driving trips like the black plague. Being in an enclosed vehicle with an RTF kid for anything longer than 20 minutes is sorta like :annoyed:
On the return trip to our Facility, we were a healthy distance behind this large black pick-up truck, when another pick-up blows a stop sign. It was one of the most horrorific things I have ever seen. These 2 trucks hit each other at roughly 45 miles per hour. They completely spun around until they were facing the opposite direction.
I swing around the accident on the side of the road and tell myself "Don't stop. You can't stop. You have the kid with you."
But, I slow down as I pass, take one look and realize I have to. Son of a bitch!
I pull over and tell the kid to stay in the car. I turn off the engine, throw the child locks and jump out. By the time I run back to the scene, a woman has come out of her house and 3 other motorists have stopped. 2 of the other motorists approach the black truck where the driver is slowly shaking his head and attempting to get out. Another guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911. The woman and I make eye contact and approach the red truck that had caused the accident.
This thing is a mangled mess. The hood is crumpled, the windows are shattered and smoke is pouring out from underneath the body. We look inside and I almost puke. The young guy driving the truck wasn't wearing his seatbelt. He is sprawled across the bucket seat with his feet wedged under the petals and his head facing the passenger window. And there is blood everywhere.
At this point, I'm praying someone else will take charge. Anyone. I wanted anyone to step up and start barking orders or just shove me aside and state "Everybody chill out, I got this shit." I look up at the other people surrounding the scene. The other 2 guys are busy with the other motorist. He's shaken, but not badly hurt and they're all clearly avoiding looking in our direction. Dude #3 is still on his phone. The woman looks at me with wide eyes and says jack. Tag, I'm it. Oh shit.
I grab the driver's side door handle and pull. It comes off in my hand. I reach through the broken window and try the inside handle. Same deal. I run around the vehicle and try the passenger side door. The handles are good, but the door is firmly wedged shut.
This is when I really get a good look at the kid behind the wheel. His head is split open like a melon. There is blood everywhere, but I'm not overly concerned about that, head wounds, even small ones, bleed excessively. What concerns me is that the kid is non-responsive and there is smoke pouring out from under his vehicle.
I look around one more time, praying for a cop, a fire fighter, anybody with any kind of authority. Nada.
I reach through the window and feel the kid's neck. No pulse. I stick my hand under his nose and get nothing. My stomach bottoms out at that point.
Working at the RTF has a lot of requirements. First Aid and CPR training yearly are part of that. If you've ever taken Red Cross CPR training, you know that its a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kind of affair. I swear they give you the shit with the knowledge that you will forget everything and never have the need to use it.
Everything that happens next is sheer reaction on my part. I just do and don't question.
"Go get some towels!" I scream at the woman. I pull my hands inside my sleeves and brush away the glass sticking through the window. Then, I climb inside.
I distinctly hear one of the other motorists screaming at me to get the fuck out of the truck.
I straddle this kid right there in the truck, slap his face a few times and pray this isn't going to happen. But, it does.
I'm halfway through my third set of chest compressions when it happens. LOL. This kid's eyes fly open, his whole body jerks and he gasps in these ragged breaths. Folks, I spent waaaaaay too much time on this site. I watch too many horror films. I can't lie; if my ass cheeks hadn't been squeezed together from the awkward position I was in, I would have actually shit my pants.
I look up and see the woman standing there holding 2 towels. I snatch them both. I cover the kid up with one, and climb out of the truck. I reach through the window and use the second towel as a compress on the head injury. And I finally hear sirens.
The paramedics, police and fire fighters show up, cut one of the doors off the truck and throw a neck brace on the kid. They slap a board under him and haul him away.
I spent the rest of the night feling very disconnected and guilty. Have I become such a cynical asshole tht my first reaction was: Don't stop? That my next reaction was: please let someone else take charge so I can get the fuck out of here? WTF is wrong with me? I mean, I know I did the right thing when it was crunch time, I just can't get past the fact that I hesitated. If anyone had ever asked me, I would have sworn I would be the kind of person that would rush into that type of situation. I'm slightly disappointed to learn that I'm really not.
Anyway, that was my night at work last night. Probably the scariest thing thats ever happened to me and I just wanted to share.
On the return trip to our Facility, we were a healthy distance behind this large black pick-up truck, when another pick-up blows a stop sign. It was one of the most horrorific things I have ever seen. These 2 trucks hit each other at roughly 45 miles per hour. They completely spun around until they were facing the opposite direction.
I swing around the accident on the side of the road and tell myself "Don't stop. You can't stop. You have the kid with you."
But, I slow down as I pass, take one look and realize I have to. Son of a bitch!
I pull over and tell the kid to stay in the car. I turn off the engine, throw the child locks and jump out. By the time I run back to the scene, a woman has come out of her house and 3 other motorists have stopped. 2 of the other motorists approach the black truck where the driver is slowly shaking his head and attempting to get out. Another guy whips out his cell phone and calls 911. The woman and I make eye contact and approach the red truck that had caused the accident.
This thing is a mangled mess. The hood is crumpled, the windows are shattered and smoke is pouring out from underneath the body. We look inside and I almost puke. The young guy driving the truck wasn't wearing his seatbelt. He is sprawled across the bucket seat with his feet wedged under the petals and his head facing the passenger window. And there is blood everywhere.
At this point, I'm praying someone else will take charge. Anyone. I wanted anyone to step up and start barking orders or just shove me aside and state "Everybody chill out, I got this shit." I look up at the other people surrounding the scene. The other 2 guys are busy with the other motorist. He's shaken, but not badly hurt and they're all clearly avoiding looking in our direction. Dude #3 is still on his phone. The woman looks at me with wide eyes and says jack. Tag, I'm it. Oh shit.
I grab the driver's side door handle and pull. It comes off in my hand. I reach through the broken window and try the inside handle. Same deal. I run around the vehicle and try the passenger side door. The handles are good, but the door is firmly wedged shut.
This is when I really get a good look at the kid behind the wheel. His head is split open like a melon. There is blood everywhere, but I'm not overly concerned about that, head wounds, even small ones, bleed excessively. What concerns me is that the kid is non-responsive and there is smoke pouring out from under his vehicle.
I look around one more time, praying for a cop, a fire fighter, anybody with any kind of authority. Nada.
I reach through the window and feel the kid's neck. No pulse. I stick my hand under his nose and get nothing. My stomach bottoms out at that point.
Working at the RTF has a lot of requirements. First Aid and CPR training yearly are part of that. If you've ever taken Red Cross CPR training, you know that its a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am kind of affair. I swear they give you the shit with the knowledge that you will forget everything and never have the need to use it.
Everything that happens next is sheer reaction on my part. I just do and don't question.
"Go get some towels!" I scream at the woman. I pull my hands inside my sleeves and brush away the glass sticking through the window. Then, I climb inside.
I distinctly hear one of the other motorists screaming at me to get the fuck out of the truck.
I straddle this kid right there in the truck, slap his face a few times and pray this isn't going to happen. But, it does.
I'm halfway through my third set of chest compressions when it happens. LOL. This kid's eyes fly open, his whole body jerks and he gasps in these ragged breaths. Folks, I spent waaaaaay too much time on this site. I watch too many horror films. I can't lie; if my ass cheeks hadn't been squeezed together from the awkward position I was in, I would have actually shit my pants.
I look up and see the woman standing there holding 2 towels. I snatch them both. I cover the kid up with one, and climb out of the truck. I reach through the window and use the second towel as a compress on the head injury. And I finally hear sirens.
The paramedics, police and fire fighters show up, cut one of the doors off the truck and throw a neck brace on the kid. They slap a board under him and haul him away.
I spent the rest of the night feling very disconnected and guilty. Have I become such a cynical asshole tht my first reaction was: Don't stop? That my next reaction was: please let someone else take charge so I can get the fuck out of here? WTF is wrong with me? I mean, I know I did the right thing when it was crunch time, I just can't get past the fact that I hesitated. If anyone had ever asked me, I would have sworn I would be the kind of person that would rush into that type of situation. I'm slightly disappointed to learn that I'm really not.
Anyway, that was my night at work last night. Probably the scariest thing thats ever happened to me and I just wanted to share.