If you saw a serious car accident, would you...

by JH 34 Replies latest jw friends

  • freein89
    freein89

    I do think cars can explode, I have heard that when the gas tank is near empty an explosion is more likely because it is the gas fumes that are explosive, not the gas itself. And yes I just jump right in there during an emergency and fall apart later.

    when I was pregnant with my first daughter in 1981, I was taking CPR classes. I already had 2 sons and 2 stepchildren a son and daughter I was about 7 months into my pregnancy and was on my way to pick up my husband from work. I had all the kids in the car and I was driving on a rural road when I noticed some doings in the road ahead, I thought a dog had been run over, as I slowed and came closer, I saw that it was a child. I stopped well back so the kids wouldn't see. I ran as fast as my pregnant body would allow, and a teenage boy was leaning over the little girl. As I approached I hollered, is she still breathing. He said, "she just quit"

    I knelt beside the 8 year old and checked for breathing. I had only taken 2 classes-all I knew was how to check for respiration and heart beat. Her heart was beating. I also knew that you can encourage breathing by tipping the head back to open the airway, so that is what I did.

    She began to breath. Her eyes were open and her pupils were completely dilated - not a good sign. By this time cars from both directions were stopped and someone had called an ambulance. Her parents came out of their house and her grandparents happened to come by. I had someone get a blanket out of their car to cover the little girls legs, which were each broken in several places. I didn't want her parents and grandparents to see those legs.

    I cradled her chin in my hand, and hoped the ambulance would arrive soon.

    That evening the hospital called to tell me that the girl had died shortly after arriving at the hospital. We had a family cry, my husband and I grieved for the girl and her parents and the kids cried because Mommy and Daddy were crying. I cried off and on for days.

    About two weeks later, with CPR classes completed, we were on our way to the Kingdom Hall for field service, and saw a car had run off the road, my husband and I were the first ones on the scene. We stopped and jumped out. The elderly man was not breathing and had no pulse. We pulled him out of his car and began CPR. I had to remove his dentures, couldn't get a seal-the dentures were too loose.

    My husband did the breaths and I did the compressions. When each breath he put in came out, it was accompanied by a ghostly sound, ooohhh. It honestly sounded like a ghost in a cartoon. Each breath did that. The man began to have a pulse, I quit compressions. Again the hospital called that night to report that he had another heart attack once arriving at the hospital, he died.

    Another family sob fest ensued.

    I have never used my training before or since. Fairly odd that these things should happen at the time we were taking the classes.

    When emergencies happen, your thinking brain kicks out and your training and heart kick in. You just do what has to be done, plenty of time to cry and react later. Long story short-of course I would help pretty much no matter what, no thinking involved you just DO it.

  • Realist
    Realist

    thunder,

    as far as i know cars CONNOT explode! its a hollywood fairytale to make crashes more exciting.

    Now I understand you. Is reality a notion you have ever considered?

    i am just restating what all experts i heard talking about this topic had to say. also outside of hollywood movies i never saw a car explode as portrayed in movies. have you?

  • outnfree
    outnfree

    I would get out to help, yes, after calling 911 (isn't this what cell phones are best for?).

    Although the car was not in flames, I stopped on a dark, winter night once, when roads were icy, to get out and slip 'n slide over to a car that had been T-boned and was still in the middle of the road. The teenage girl was in shock, bleeding from the head, and pinned in the driver's seat with some broken leg bones, it appeared. I didn't have a cell phone at the time, so others who had stopped phoned the police. I stayed at her side, calming her and talking to her, trying to elicit information and keep her focussed on anything other than her pain, until the rescue crews came. They needed the Jaws of Life to pry her out. I never learned what happened, continued on to my destination after the cops took over...

    It may have been stupid to put myself on the slippery street and risk getting hit myself -- the accident was just over a rise in the road -- but at the time, I gave no though to anything other than helping the victim. I think that's a fairly normal reaction.

    outnfree

  • teenyuck
    teenyuck

    Regarding exploding cars....

    I had a 1972 Ford Pinto. One of the infamous *blow-up* models. These cars did explode if hit from behind due to the gas tank positioning.

    I got the car handed down in 1978 when my sister ran away the year before. I was 16. My mom had gotten a beat up station wagon and I ended up with the beat up Pinto. I figured I was never going to get hit from behind, so what was the big deal?

    One day, with 2 friends in the car, I backed out of another friends driveway. Being 16, I did not stop or look. I just went for it. I got hit, directly from behind by a totally restored 1965 Chevy muscle car.

    My friends and I looked at each other said "good bye" and waited for the car to go.

    Nothing happened. We got lucky. The man who I hit/hit me came running up screaming at me....that brought me out of my reverie. We did not explode.

    Here is a link to the infamous model:

  • Realist
    Realist

    hello teenyuck,

    correct me if i am mistaken but i think what the people in the article you posted mean by explosion is that the gas tank leaks and the car is on fire immediately buring the passengers inside. i don'T think they mean it actually explodes with parts flying around.

    by the way ...thank god your pinto did not start bruning!!!!!!!!!!!!! we would miss you here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • teenyuck
    teenyuck

    Hi Realist, long time no debate, huh?

    Pinto's were a blight on Ford. I do believe they did explode; whether or not from the direct impact or the gas leaking, is something I could not even begin to debate. There were so many lawsuits and so much dirty laundry, it took Ford years to build any consumer confidence. But, they kept making them and people kept buying them.

    Since I escaped my first Pinto unscathed, I ended up buying two more....

    I knew how to repair them myself. They engine was like a sewing machine and I could get the repair manual at the library. I would go to the junk place to get spare parts (the radiator went out 5 times on me) and the guys there were very helpful finding me the least *used* parts.

    I finally traded up to a Mustang after college. When I earned more than $3.25 per hour.

    Here is another link:

  • oldcrowwoman
    oldcrowwoman

    Yes I would definitely stop and help. Depending on the situation of a fire I definitely try to remove them. That would be the only time I would remove. I don't know there many different senarios to accidents.

    No fire in the car and they are not in further danger. I would not remove because of possible neck or spinal cord injuries. To make them comfortable as best I could.

    I do have CPR and First Aid training. Which I have done over the years.

    Working in a ER I've seen alot injuries from car wrecks.

    OCW

    encourage others to use~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    seat belts~~~~~~~~~~~seat belts~~~~~~~seat belts~~~~~~~~~~~seat belts~~~~~

  • teenyuck
    teenyuck

    Didn't mean to get off topic. Yes I would help. I would do whatever I could.

    Back off topic: I do recall every once in a while news reports will say a car exploded. I think Hollywood makes it look like an everyday occurance.

    Unless it is an old Pinto, the chances are low it will explode. Help who you can, if you can.

  • HoChiMin
    HoChiMin

    Yes I would and have.

    I was a passenger in a dubbies (ms) car when I was a new dubbie returning from a day of skiing when we came upon a bright flash of light that light up the night sky. It was a country road with no one around and cold out when around the next corner a car had just hit a utility pole. The wires were down and sparks were coming from under the vehicle. I told my dubbie friend (ms) to stop the car and his reply was "NO let's keep going" . I opened our car door while it was still moving slowly and jumped out and ran over to the damaged vehicle, the motor was racing full throttle with the only occupant slumped over the steering wheel. I forced open the door and shut off the ignition then revived the driver by yelling and shaking him, he was covered in blood and his ear was torn off. After a short time the police arrived and I went back to my ride where the Ministerial Servant was still sitting, he never got out, I said lets go he'll be ok. He never said a word about it after that. He was a real good dubbie example.

    HCM

  • Jayson
    Jayson

    It's not even a question for me. I was trained as an EMT. Repsonding to people in need is part of my creed. I've done it in the past. Car's rarely explode even if there is flame or smoke. I also have assisted people when a battery was taking place. Once was a female security guard just getting pounded by a theif. That one did not go down so well. His partner hit me with his car while trying to escape. He drug another security guard about 50 feet when he tried to jerk the keys out of the ignition. We got the SOB's though.

    When I was 18 a girlfriend had a child and I was feeding him mashed potatos when he gaged and couldn't breath. He was about 10 months old and I didn't know what to do for a baby. She turned him upside down and started shaking him. It worked, but from then on I didn't want to be helpless. I became an EMT less than a year later.

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