ambulance ride

Categories: ouch

Date: 22 January 2012 13:17:12

Ambulance ride

Diary of an accident victim Part two

BANG! I was hit. Next thing I know is that I'm lying on the floor in the road with people standing around me. And I hurt. A lot. I'm being told not to move, and that an ambulance has been called. Every time I try to raise my legs to ease the pain I'm told not to move. (A St. John's Ambulance person happened to be passing. Someone says that the driver is here, I look up, I think it's the guy in blue, but my glasses were broken by the impact, so I can't see more than a blur. WOOWOOWOOO... The sound of an approaching siren, and more blue lights, it seems the police are already here. (There is usually a good police presence in this area. I did say I commute through the red light area, didn't I? No?) The ambulance crew are here, and start checking me out where I lie. Snip snip, The polo shirt is cut open, the rugsack taken from my back and the helmet removed. The examination takes forever, or seems like it. "We'll have to put you on a board, just as a precaution," I hear. Just as you think the pain can get no worse I get moved. My head is fastened looking straight into the falling drizzle. I now know there are things more uncomfortable to lie on than the road. The policeman has found my mobile phone, it is unbroken. "What is your home number?" I tell him. I later find out from my wife, Linda, that the call comes in at 8:20. I've been on the floor 35 minutes. I get lifted into the ambulance - more pain - and just get to see blue light flashing from both sides, the ambulance and police car are parked so that no vehicle can get to me. The doors close. WOOWOOWOOO... We start moving, not the racing through the streets you'd expect, but slowly, very slowly so as not to shake me. Every bump hurts a lot, and I mean a lot. Corners hurt even more. We arrive at the hospital, and I'm lifted on to a stretcher - even more pain. The lights in here are dazzling, but at least, having been treated on the road with no shirt, it's warm.

... to be continued

This was first posted on St Pixels blog on 13 May 06 To see the blogs about the accident and recovery together please use the “ouch” link under Categories.