It's been a few days now, but on the night of the 4th of July, we got a nasty accident call. I just knew one would come in- it's a holiday, it's a beautiful night, and my district is surrounded by country back roads. We got called to the scene on mutual aid for the next town over- the scene was two vehicles involved in a t-bone accident, at least 6 patients, two choppers already in the air for us. 5 departments sent apparatus to the scene. There were 4 teenagers in the vehicle that was t-boned; the driver was DOA, and her friend next to her died of traumatic arrest in flight to the hosptial. The two girls in the back seat, one of which we transported, were also flown out from out local hospital within 30 minutes of us dropping them off due to the seriousness of their internal injuries and multiple broken bones. I myself worked on the passenger of the SUV that hit the girls- the driver had fled the scene on foot, and we all assume that he is now fertilizer. There was a star in the windshield on the driver's side, with steering wheel deformity. He has never been found. While I was starting IV's in the dark on the edge of a cornfield, thinking about the seriousness of this guy's spinal injuries and the fact that he had priapism and a rigid abdomen- I was thinking.... "I knew this would happen. Every damn person here is wasted- those that can still talk are all saying they'd been drinking". My guy ended up being flown out from the scene, too.
So why do people do this?? I can't believe my own stupidity when I was younger- I could easily have been one of those girls. Now, seeing what I see out here, I'd never do such a thing. Not only out of concern for my low pain threshold, but also for my family's sake. I think all of those girls were underage. Imagine what their families are going through now. I just wanted to get this story out there. I"m sure there are hundreds of others just like it, and even worse. It's just the nature of the job, but it sucks to see stuff like this, doesn't it?