Jane Hodgson’s First Aid Story
Describing the scene she encountered, Jane says: “The onlookers were just that. A couple of young lads were ashen faced and looking lost – they were completely terrified. When I walked up, first aid kit in hand, they said ‘You’re a first aider – oh thank God.’ The poor lads were so shocked they had not even thought to call for an ambulance yet.”
After speaking to the emergency services, the Good Samaritan got to work introducing herself to the casualty – a young girl called Jenny – finding out what had happened and establishing what injuries she had. It turned out the teen had been hit by a car and gone over the handlebars of her bike, landing on her head and shoulder. Her shoulder and arm were now twisted in an awkward position underneath her.
“I was worried because she had not been wearing a helmet when she got knocked down, and I was adamant that she should not be moved as I couldn’t be sure about a spinal injury, but after looking her over and checking the circulation in her injured arm I did feel fairly confident that she had escaped relatively unscathed.
Even so, as time passed and we continued to wait for an ambulance, the amount of pain the girl was in was increasing. To distract her and minimise the risk of her going into shock I kept her talking. We chatted about her boyfriend (one of the frightened onlookers), football, the weather, pretty much anything I could think of to keep her mind off the pain. She squeezed my hand when the pain got too much and this helped. I told her I was a tough northerner and I could handle it – we laughed about that.” describes Jane.
In the time it took for an ambulance to arrive a GP and a doctor from the local hospital’s ICU both stopped at the scene too. As the casualty’s injured arm was starting to go numb, the ICU doctor made the call that she should be log rolled onto her back, making her much more comfortable until the emergency services arrived and took over some 50 minutes later.
Thinking back, Jane says: “I never did find out what happened to the girl. Apart from the boyfriend I wasn’t thanked by anyone else, but that’s OK. For me, knowing that in a small way I helped that girl through what was a frightening experience is all the reward I need. It felt great to know I’d made a difference and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
