Randy Cassingham's Blog

Posted by Sue in Bremerton WA on July 18, 2007:

Does this sort of thing count as bringing your work home with you?

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I didn't bring it! It followed me! -rc

Posted by Jace (Medic from Alaska; but presently in Iraq) on July 18, 2007:

Good to see you are wearing your PPE's... Now where are Kits'? :)

Also good for your neighbor you were there. How does it feel to be 'back in the business'?

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For the uninitiated, "PPE" is "Personal Protective Equipment" -- like gloves to protect you from the patient's blood. Kit indeed had hers on, but dumped them when she was relieved by Katie, since she had a fair amount of blood on them. And yeah, it's pretty wild to be "back in the biz" after a 22-year hiatus, but I like it! -rc

Posted by Debra, Norfolk VA on July 19, 2007:

What a scary wreck. You and Kit did a good job. And Amy -- what a self-possessed young lady. Coming on this scene and asking if you needed a hand, instead of freaking out and being one more person to deal with. I would've hired her on the spot! Glad your neighbor is making a good recovery.

We have friends who used to live on the curve of a narrow, twisting quarry road in Pennsylvania. They got tired of finding trucks and cars in their front yard, so they installed huge posts, 3 feet above and 3 feet counter-sunk below ground, with large reflectors. Amazing how not one car or truck ever ran into those posts. The posts might as well have screamed "Slow down or DIE!"

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They did. Just not in English. :-) -rc

Posted by Barbara in Utah on July 23, 2007:

Randy I see you've covered the most important folks in this situation, but I'm also curious about the reaction and behavior of the tow truck driver to this whole thing. I've worked in and around several county ERs and the guilty or most guilty party if he/she's conscious is either in shock or denial or remorse or a bit of all. I always wanted to ask "What the heck were you thinking?" Of course I couldn't, but I wanted to many times. My first thought when saw this photo was to ask the truck driver what he thought he was doing. Get the story before he had time to edit himself.

No one ever thinks they set out to cause an accident, but they do when they make the choice to speed or whatever risky behavior. They act out a version of Russian roulette where they've gambled and won so many times they think they're immune. One day their luck runs out and something like this happens. No few of them deny they were at fault in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary or sometimes they go on and on about being sorry. Somewhere along the line they gave themselves permission to drive on the wild side and thus choose for this to happen.

So I'm curious Randy, other than disconnecting the battery, what about the tow truck driver? What did he have to say for himself? What's he up for in terms of consequences?

My heart goes out to the SUV driver. That whole picture looks like a nightmare, except for the fact he had EMTs on the scene PDQ. As lucky as he is to be alive and relatively unharmed, he's still banged up and will hurt for a while. No matter what happens to the tow truck driver, the SUV guy has it far worse.

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Most definitely -- he'll feel the repercussions for years to come, especially if the insurance company isn't generous with the victim (as they should be, if they want to avoid a lawsuit). I'd be surprised if he didn't lose his job, and with such an accident on his record it will be hard for him to get another in the same business.

I was too busy tending to the injuries to talk to the tow truck driver, other than to ask him to disconnect the battery. After Kit was relieved in the back seat, though, she did go talk to him. He told her he felt sick and heartbroken -- and he wasn't talking medical conditions. So, at least he has a conscience. He knew he was driving like a jerk, and he knew he caused this -- there was no getting around the facts. It's something he'll have to live with, it will affect his driving record, his work, and probably his personal insurance rates for years to come. Imagine how much worse if he had killed someone.

Yes, some speed limits and other traffic laws are overly restrictive, but they're generally there for a reason. There are repercussions when you ignore them. My guess is he has a wife and kids to feed. He just made things a lot harder for himself ...and them. -rc