You've seen tens of thousands of movies that tell you to "move along...there's nothing to see here by a police officier.  There is plenty to see.  It's blood, guts, pain, etc., and you won't forget it if you're involved.  We have been programmed to not assist our fellow man.  I'm waiting for the rain to stop and I'll do a film with Michael on the highway to point out to you the importance of having a lst aid kit, water, and a blanket.  My deputies are not on US95....their stuck in their office.  Our response time to assist any one just got a helluva lot longer.  Your alone out there.  That medical kit, water & a blanket will be you life-line.  So for God's sake drop that pepsi, phone and help your neighbor on the road.  You men have always been highly tuned in to another driver & how you perceive a possible danger to yourself or others.  You move out of the way.  Pull over at the sign of an accident and assist us.  Our resources are gone...we got to help one another.  A little blood is not going to kill you, but the wake up call will do wonders for you.  Laying on a highway is not fun and it is very scary, but a fellow American helping you out & holding you during that truma will stay with you for ever.  So, please put that medical kit in the truck, the water & the blanket and pray.

Edited March 5, 20169 yr by Mopar1973Man

I agree, but one must not just run in and put ones self in danger as well, one needs to do a thorough look over of the accident scene to make sure it is safe for you to go in and help, you are no good if you get hurt along with it.

 

Also in todays day and age of new and improved blood born pathogens one needs to be extremely careful there as well and if one doesn't have the correct personal protective equipment in the first aid kit then one needs to make that judgement call on your own of weather or not you want to take that chance of contracting a blood born illness or even just a fluid transfer exchange or contact in some cases.

Edited March 5, 20169 yr by Wild and Free

I have been able to help in some situations in the. I do agree with WF on evaluating the situation so you don't end up laying there yourself in need of attention.

The blood born stuff is whole different subject. If somebody is bleeding bad I am going to help but it is on your mind.

If you have compassion for your fellow man you will stop and render aid no mater what the time is, no matter what the weather is, no mater who the person is for if you were in plight you would want the same given to you.  For those that 'just drive by'  if their needs arise, may people with a caring heart come to their aid and open their eyes and so it goes.

This is a very delicate situation. i've been traveling the roads for a long darn time. and i've seen and attempted to help in many accidents. I have also had several people die in my arms. as i'm trying to comfort them and keep other people at bay. these are images and memories that can never leave. and keep me up at night at times. wonder if i could or should have done something different.

now don't get me wrong, i'll always stop. i'll always offer my assistance. once the professionals arrive i leave it to them.

i've watched motorcycles crash, the poor lady had no idea that she was dead just didn't know it yet. i was the only one on scene for 3 minutes. with no cell signal. i held her hand and told her it was ok. that the people she loved and that loved her would be ok. her husband was on the other side of the freeway trying to get his bike to run to go for help. he came back to her already passed.

i've watched a train take a car for a ride. and trying to keep my wife and kids from seeing the images they need not see is n't easy. it's hard to explain to them that they don't want to see that. thy don't understand what they might see. and that it will stay with them for ever.

helicopter crashes, body parts in the trees. stuff that doesn't' leave your mind.

so i say this. if you can't or don't think you can handle these images for the rest of your life then be very careful who you stop n help. maybe just stay in the truck and call for help.

My wife says i have a gift of being at the right place at the wrong time. i have watched over 30 accidents happen either in front of me or in my mirrors. and i've driven up on more then 12 where i was the first person to arrive, it just so happened i was in that part of the woods or desert that day. i've had 6 people take their last breath in my arms, 2 die on the way to the hospital.

please take care your choices on the road at an accident.

Now... This all being said who said you had to be right there in the thick of things? How about traffic control? How about keeping the person safe? How about helping other emergency personnel? I've done that a time or two where I've identified myself from "Salmon River Rural FD" and started assisting in fire suppression on vehicle fires. Chasing gear and equipment for other crews.

Don't get me wrong I'm not superman either. I'm trained for vehicle extrication but my first call after training I couldn't do it. I handed the job to my Chief. We had a teenager trapped in a badly crushed vehicle screaming that he wanted out. It broke my heart and broke my will at the time. I continue to do other jobs assisting other and keeping the scene safe. So even folks with training have issues on dealing with the sights and sounds of people hurting or in need.

 

 

Should always have a good fire extinguisher that can handle fuel /oil fires. I'm going to buy one and mount it in the truck.

Funny you happen to say that. Make sure to have on a fairly good size. Smaller one do work but extremely limited on amount of charge. More or less like having 1 shot in a gun or fully loaded clip. So consider you size when you purchase.

12 hours ago, Killer223 said:

This is a very delicate situation. i've been traveling the roads for a long darn time. and i've seen and attempted to help in many accidents. I have also had several people die in my arms. as i'm trying to comfort them and keep other people at bay. these are images and memories that can never leave. and keep me up at night at times. wonder if i could or should have done something different.

now don't get me wrong, i'll always stop. i'll always offer my assistance. once the professionals arrive i leave it to them.

i've watched motorcycles crash, the poor lady had no idea that she was dead just didn't know it yet. i was the only one on scene for 3 minutes. with no cell signal. i held her hand and told her it was ok. that the people she loved and that loved her would be ok. her husband was on the other side of the freeway trying to get his bike to run to go for help. he came back to her already passed.

i've watched a train take a car for a ride. and trying to keep my wife and kids from seeing the images they need not see is n't easy. it's hard to explain to them that they don't want to see that. thy don't understand what they might see. and that it will stay with them for ever.

helicopter crashes, body parts in the trees. stuff that doesn't' leave your mind.

so i say this. if you can't or don't think you can handle these images for the rest of your life then be very careful who you stop n help. maybe just stay in the truck and call for help.

My wife says i have a gift of being at the right place at the wrong time. i have watched over 30 accidents happen either in front of me or in my mirrors. and i've driven up on more then 12 where i was the first person to arrive, it just so happened i was in that part of the woods or desert that day. i've had 6 people take their last breath in my arms, 2 die on the way to the hospital.

please take care your choices on the road at an accident.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences.  The truth can be hard to take, but it is so important to know.  Again, thank you for helping.  God bless!

MoparMom was mentioning that we live in a recreational area of Idaho. Right now the weather is foul. The winds are high out of the north and rain is pouring down. If my radio tones go off I'm going out in this foul weather like it or not. It's coming down so hard that the river level has come up over 1 foot and still rising yet. Visibility is even poor right now maybe see solid 1/10 of a mile.

Looking towards the north...

I've been hurt in a motorcycle crash, fallen in construction a couple times, sawed off a couple fingers that got reattached. I just want to say these injuries were very minor and yet hurt so darn much you begin to realize how trading a little safety for speed just isn't worth it. Some pain stays with you the rest of your life. It just ain't worth it.

We're drinking coffee & orange juice while the rain slashes the windows.  The river is rising at this time and we are in an avalanche alert.  Snowmobilers are still driving back & forth up the canyon in spite of it all.  If I jumped in a truck & drove 15 miles into town I'd run into a combat zone of hard-core steelhead fishermen who are fighting for a piece of river front to stand on.  They and the Indians have their own war going on.  Yep!!!  We in a recreational area and most have forgotten how play safe.  Michael just said, "I hope to God I"m not called out."

Is mike a lefty?

Yes he is!!!

Well live and learn. I smell a new name coming on. By the way Mikey, that photo looks like command central. Ya'll be careful up there. 

Lefty Morgan the gun slinger?

5 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

Lefty Morgan the gun slinger?

Is Lefty Swifty's older brother?

16 hours ago, Killer223 said:

This is a very delicate situation. i've been traveling the roads for a long darn time. and i've seen and attempted to help in many accidents. I have also had several people die in my arms. as i'm trying to comfort them and keep other people at bay. these are images and memories that can never leave. and keep me up at night at times. wonder if i could or should have done something different.

now don't get me wrong, i'll always stop. i'll always offer my assistance. once the professionals arrive i leave it to them.

i've watched motorcycles crash, the poor lady had no idea that she was dead just didn't know it yet. i was the only one on scene for 3 minutes. with no cell signal. i held her hand and told her it was ok. that the people she loved and that loved her would be ok. her husband was on the other side of the freeway trying to get his bike to run to go for help. he came back to her already passed.

i've watched a train take a car for a ride. and trying to keep my wife and kids from seeing the images they need not see is n't easy. it's hard to explain to them that they don't want to see that. thy don't understand what they might see. and that it will stay with them for ever.

helicopter crashes, body parts in the trees. stuff that doesn't' leave your mind.

so i say this. if you can't or don't think you can handle these images for the rest of your life then be very careful who you stop n help. maybe just stay in the truck and call for help.

My wife says i have a gift of being at the right place at the wrong time. i have watched over 30 accidents happen either in front of me or in my mirrors. and i've driven up on more then 12 where i was the first person to arrive, it just so happened i was in that part of the woods or desert that day. i've had 6 people take their last breath in my arms, 2 die on the way to the hospital.

please take care your choices on the road at an accident.

I will always stop to help someone "if" I believe they truly need the help.  But I have to say that this post left me feeling cold and sad.

i've read several books on Grays anatomy. i'll always stop. just because there is a crowd of people doesn't mean they have a clue.

I stopped for the only unassisted wreck I have ever seen. Now this mini van was on it's side with others trying to get the four elderly folks out but the doors would not open. I could see fluid leaking and some smoke coming off the engine but so many people had stopped I had to park quite a ways away. By the time I got there with my fire extinguisher emergency service was now on scene from the other side of the highway. I was very surprised after looking around to find that I was the only one with an extinguisher in hand. That thing could have burst into flames at any moment and from now on the extinguisher won't be the only one in my RV. Should always carry one in the cab.

3 hours ago, Me78569 said:

Is mike a lefty?

Yes Sir. Always have been.

3 hours ago, dripley said:

By the way Mikey, that photo looks like command central.

It is my command central. I can see you coming before you get off the highway. No way to sneak into our place.

5 hours ago, JAG1 said:

I just want to say these injuries were very minor and yet hurt so darn much you begin to realize how trading a little safety for speed just isn't worth it.

 I should put the camera on my dash some time again and show how many people still pass me even doing the speed limit. Should see the amount of times I power braked and dove for the ditch trying to get get out of the way of a idiot passing illegally.

55 minutes ago, JAG1 said:

That thing could have burst into flames at any moment and from now on the extinguisher won't be the only one in my RV.

True. Sometimes you got to juggle time factors. Is there enough time to get the people out of the vehicle safely? Do you do something to stop the fire? Is more time needed to get the people out of the vehicle because of entrapment?

I typically look to attempt to gain time. I would instantly grab the negative lead and yank it off the battery. That should stop the possibly of fire, not always but it should buy more time. Is the vehicle stable and secure? If not find away to make it secure so not to injury other working or injury the people trapped. Some time all you can do is rely on man power.