Your worst day In EMS

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Comment by AJ on March 1, 2009 at 10:34pm

Just this past year, got called in for a second half shift of overtime before my 24 the next day. I show up at 6 pm get called out to to MVA vs. two pedestrians. Arrive and find a young married couple that was walking their dogs, got hit by a drunk teen. I knew him from working out at the gym. He was a trauma code, bagging him was impossible due to some many bones in his face crushed that the mask was sinking into his head, worked him for a few minutes and called him. Went over to the female, open head injury, unequal pupils, cheynne-stokes respirations, loaded and went, intubated her, drove to the hospital @ 30 miles and hour, took 50 minutes. We were smack dab in the middle of a hurricane and borderline not being able to respond due to the wind speed. Finshed up at the hospital, went back to the post to write the report (she died the next day). One hour got called to the beach for an 8 year old girl in cardiac arrest. We pulled up to a hotel, with a big old bubba type sherriffs deputy running towards the ambulance with a limp girl in his arms, and he was crying. We worked her, got her back. Spent the next few hours waiting at the hospital and then we took her emergency transfer to the childrens hospital. They tell you in school about CISD or a variation of it (critical incident stress debriefing), so I called my boss the next day to request it and they told me they didn't have that or anything like it. So I just delt with it.

Comment by boysel136 on January 14, 2009 at 10:00am

Over the years i ve seen a lot. My very first call was a single car mva that struck a tree...subject trapped .......just a rookie i never expected to see what i did that day... i will never forget that....16yo female was trapped and the vehicle burst into flames before we could extracate...Another one was when we were dispatched to a roll-over mva subject trapped under the vehicle. We arrived and medic onscene already advised the subject was doa. So i assisted with climbing into the vehicle and extracating the subject out from under the vehicle. When the subject was freed and i pulled the subject out and rolled him over it was.....one of my good friends that i grew up with. Very hard day that day....

Comment by Lowery T. Hill Jr. on January 10, 2009 at 11:28pm

Her name was Leslie, It was way back in the mid 90's somewhere in southern Oklahoma when I worked there, she was only 16, I was the Paramedic Captain / area supervisor for a private Ambulance service Out of texas that had expanded into Ok. We recieved a call for a 1 vehicle MVA abput 30 miles south of town, way down in the southern end of our coverage area, At that time we worked 24 on and 24 on call, 1 crew on duty at a time only so back up was way far off. That day I had one of my EMT's who was going through medic school there doing his ride time, there was also 1 other off duty EMT's at the station when the call came in. My EMT/Student asked If I wanted him and the other off duthy EMT there to bring a 2nd ambulance, and I decided it didnt sound like we would need it from the call, My partner and I where both Medics, so we could have split to make 2 ALS units. I told the Student to just get in with us and lets go he wasnt working that day he was there as a student. So that is how we responded. ( MY Decision )
At that time, Back then we did not have, First rsponders, the volunter fire department from the small town there did respond, but had no first aid training. We also had no radio contact with them. Upon arrival at the scene I was confronted with a 1 Vehicle rollover. 3 patients. Patient #1 was a 15 year old male who had been ejected about 25 feet and was intangeled in a barbed wire fence, he had multiple Fx's, Multiple severe Lacerations, and a ridged abdomen, was in and out of conciousness, Patient #2 Was a 16 year old female, front seat pasenger, partiealy ejected, multiple Fx's, severe closed head injurie, semi concious and combative. Patient # 3. Leslie. 16 yr female Driver. Ejected. Unconcious / Unresponsive, Fx neck, Gurgaling on brite massive amount of brite red blood in oral pharanyx, Tension Pneumo/Hemo Thorax, abd injuries, Car had rolled over her body. There was no Air Ambulance available for Backup, The nearest Ground Ambulance was at least 30 minutes from our location, and we where 30 minutes from the nearest Hospital, I had to make a Triage decision and I left the driver, ( dead or dying ) I concentrated my efforts on the other 2 got them extricated and packaged with the help of my partner and student, Loaded and transported with O2, IV's and Monitor, eveything we needed to do for them, they both servived, with many months of rehab. the drivers mother worked at the hospital where I transported patients all the time, She came up to me 1 week later and thanked me for what I had done, That was my worst day in over 25 years of EMS and I pray you never have to make that decision in your carrier, That was almost 17 years ago, I lost my faith in God for several Years, I have only gotten my life straight with God in the last 4 Years. I almost lost my whole Family, I left my wife and children for almost a Year, I Left EMS for about 4 months. All I can tell you is that now days Most services have a Critical Incident Sress system of some kind, please use it, dont think its for sissies or that it will make u less of a man, It may Just save your Life, I wish I had of had the opertunity to take advantage of something like that then, I still Have nitemares about that scene every October, like clock work, Your EMS brother Lowery Hill Jr. NREMT-P Retired, Jasper Ar. USA

Comment by Craig Grace on January 7, 2009 at 11:29am

Without all the nasty details, I worked a semi vs concrete piling on the interstate. 30 something y/o uncle fell asleep and left the roadway striking the piling of a bridge. He hit it pretty square and his two nephews, 8 and 10, were ejected headfirst into the piling. It was the most disturbing scene I have worked. We had to search for body parts in the dark and desiel fuel in the ditch. Tough when you have a son the same age....

Comment by Lance Hill on January 6, 2009 at 5:35pm

I had to tell an 8 y/o boy his dad was dead. He had heard the gun shot and found him on the floor. He ran to a neighbor and had them call 911. When we arrived he was outside with the neighbor crying. We checked his dad and he was obvious DOA. After calling for OMI, we headed outside to see if other family was there. As soon as I walked out he asked if his Dad was going to be OK.
Less than an hour later had another call for an unconscious female. Upon arrival was met by a young girl crying on the front lawn. I told my partner if it was another dead parent, I was going home. Turned out to be a seizure that was treated without incident.
The remainder of the shift was still crappy.

Comment by John on January 1, 2009 at 2:10pm

Civilian or military?

On second thought we wont get into the military aspect.

I wasnt even on duty. I can up on an accident in my hometown. I knew the crew that was working the accident so I stopped to see if they needed a hand. It was a BLS crew who ha called for ALS so they were more thne happy to see me. they had 5 patients and another who was still pinned. The senior person on scene had less then 2 years road experience. She was going nuts over the one still trapped. I assesed the one still pinned, no pulse, obvious fatal head injury. It took a few minutes but I finally convinced the senior EMT to just move on to her other patients.

Next day I found out it was my sister in laws niece. I knew the girl all her life. I had no idea it was her when I saw her in the car.