Sirens were blaring in my ear, heart thumping in my chest, and pupils dilated as I drove across the intersection at lightning speeds honking at the cars that barely came to a stop. My partner, a paramedic, guided me to the car crash. I had seen it a million times before, but I pray I don’t have to see it again. An intersection that showed glimpses of shredded metal and dripping blood reflected off two molded vehicles in the blaring sunlight. “Show us at scene of the auto collision,” my partner rambled into the radio. My blue gloves felt clean as I slipped them on, my feet numb with static. I grabbed my bag and hurried to the first car.
A young boy was leaning over the steering wheel, head of brown hair was a disheveled mess with ruby blood dripping down his forehead. The windshield had a round shatter on the driver’s side, about the size of the boy’s head. My eyes shot down to the seat belt and I clenched my jaw. If only he wore a seat belt. “I need help with the other guy, what’s with this one?” My partner rang next to me. I was quick to respond. “Looks about a 16 year old, severe head trauma, non-responsive, no seat belt, and mechanical failure to deploy air bags.” My paramedic cringed. “Let’s call another ambulance and have fire start on this one.” I nodded, following him to the next car. I glimpsed inside, seeing the patient in tears as he angrily clenched the steering wheel. A strong scent of booze hit my nose like a truck. “I can’t feel my legs! I can’t move them! I can’t run away! Why aren’t you doing anything?!” I sighed picking up my radio, “Rescue 410, send PD for non-compliant patient.” If only this man didn’t drink himself to oblivion. “Looks like a spinal injury, but at least he’s conscious, just aggressive.” My paramedic got to digging into his bag for supplies.
As the wind blew in my direction, I smelled a smokey scent that caught my attention. The car that had the boy in it was starting to catch on fire. They didn’t know. They couldn’t smell downwind. “Hey! Fire! Fire! Get the kid out!” I ran over to the firemen who blinked at me in confusion. “A fire is starting! We need to split.” The firemen who were attempting to gently take the boy out without causing further damage now began quickening their pace as the others grabbed hold of a fire extinguisher. The boy was placed on the stretcher and I noticed his struggle for every breath. “I’ll start bagging him with oxygen,” I informed the crew around me that attempted to bandage a newfound heavy bleed on his right knee. “Hey! I found this!” A firemen threw a bottle of pills at me, “They were in the cup holder.” I looked at the medication bottle, understanding right away what had happened. “Benzodiazepines, they can cause extreme drowsiness,” I scowled my eyebrows. He was probably having a hard time paying attention to the road. I kept bagging oxygen into the boy’s lungs, his lungs rising and falling with every push of my bag. If only he knew his medications had that side effect.
I heard sirens in the distance. Our help was almost here. They would take the other patient so we wouldn’t abandon anyone. “Let’s get him moving to the ambulance.” So much chaos. So much ruin. If only that driver knew he was risking other people’s lives. So much blood. So much hurt. And so much discord. If only that driver took his safety seriously. So much danger. So much lawless entropy. The mayhem. The calamity. The unruly pain and affliction for every hell-bound attempt for breath as the grim reaper stood nearby within the shadows. If only they did what was right. If only…
This real-life story that I experienced as an EMT is a prime representation of why we need to safely drive. This includes having good driving habits, following the law, and understanding and knowing the side effects of your medications. For those who are teaching new drivers, we must instill good driving habits from the beginning. You ask what steps can be taken to reduce the number of deaths related to driving? I’ll tell you the advice my father gave me when he taught me how to drive. “If there’s a traffic law, there’s a reason for it. Obey.”