EMT Paramedic Stories

We were on station when the run was dispatched. It came out as a 10-50 PI (Car Wreck) on the edge of town. While en-route to the scene, we were told that one of our local ER doctors was on the scene and made the call to 911. He had told dispatch to send 2 ambulances, so we could only figure that he had at least a couple of patients.

As we drove up to the scene, we could see two vehicles severely damaged. One of the cars was off the road, but looked to be completely totaled. The other, a Beetle, was upside down in the middle of the road. We could see several people around the upside down car, so the most injured patients were probably still inside of it.

We grabbed our gear and headed to the upside down car. Once there, we found the doctor lying on the ground and trying to talk to someone underneath it, an obviously bad sign. As we lay down to see what was going on underneath the car, we realize an awful sight. It was a small child about 5 years old, and she was trapped under the car. The only thing we could do was try to help her until the fire department got there to move the car.

While one ambulance was attending to the other patient, me and the doctor tried to do what we could for the pinned child. There was really not a lot we could do. She was too far under the car for us to manage any injuries, and trying to move the car ourselves would probably do more harm than good. I was holding the little girls hand, while the doc was trying to start an IV. The little girl could look at us, and was obviously hurting. She would moan a little bit, but the weight of the car prevented her from crying, and breathing was obviously difficult.

The fire department arrived pretty quickly. They set up all of the proper equipment and began to move the car. They managed to get some of the weight of the car off the little girl, but apparently it was going to make little difference. As they moved the car, they girl looked away from us and moaned. It was the last sound she made, as she died there under that car.

Things moved pretty quickly at this point. The car was moved and she was pulled from underneath. We began working vigorously to try and revive her, but it was of no use. She had been pinned for too long, and due to the lack of circulation, poisons had built up in her system that was now preventing any recovery. We made every attempt we could on the scene, and took her to the ER, where she was later pronounced dead. We were all devastated by the events.

Adults grow die from age and injuries every day. Though it is an awful thing to hear about, it just doesn’t seem to have an impact on society. Maybe we are just use to hearing about it, or maybe there is something socially acceptable about an adult being killed. However, it is hard to fathom a child in much pain. Sure, we see our kids get hurt. Things like broken arms from climbing trees, or a football injury, but it is almost unimaginable to picture one of our kids in a life or death struggle. There is just something wrong with the idea of a child dying, and nothing about it seems natural or acceptable. You have to ask yourself “Why?” Why must someone that has barely even seen life, have to leave it, especially when it is at the hands of someone else. I know that it is part of life, but that concept just doesn’t seem to fit the life that I understand.

This accident was caused by a drunken driver. No, it wasn’t the driver of the car off the side of the road. It was the little girl’s mother. She had been drinking heavily, and thought she was still capable to drive 2 miles home. It was an error that I hope she feels forever. I know I will.

You know it is going to be a bad run, when dispatch tones you off and proceeds to call out a person’s initials, stating he is down again.

Ricky was a man about 40 years old. We went on him so many times, that as we would walk up to him, he would just look at us and say “It’s about a 5.” He was referring to a 0-10 scale that we used to rate pain severity.

It started one day when we were called for a man down in the middle of the street. When we arrived, we found this man, lying face down in the street. We quickly moved him to our truck and began to work on him. He was conscious and talking to us, but seemed very sleepy. He was complaining of chest pain, and when he described it, it did not sound like cardiac pain. However, we took all necessary precautions, and transported him to the hospital.

While at the hospital, he got into an argument with the nursing staff, and signed himself out. He left the hospital, even before we were done with our paperwork. We thought is was strange to see him on the patio of a house across from the hospital, but thought he probably knew them, and went to them for a ride.

Over the next 2 to 3 years, we would come to know Ricky very well. Ricky was a solitary man that lived alone in a very small little house that was more like a shed. His only known family was his brother, who lived across from the hospital, and Ricky liked to visit him often. That is where our problem came in.

Ricky would take a notion to see his brother, but since he lived about 4 miles away and had no transportation, he needed a ride. Ricky would walk to a public place, take off his glasses, and fall to the ground. Bystanders would see this happen and call 911. When one of our trucks went to the scene, we would find Ricky, pretending to have chest pain. He was getting good at his fictitious tale. Over the many times of calling us, he had learned just how to act, and what to complain of. It made our job a little tougher; because we could not prove that he was actually lying. So, we would have to take him to the hospital, where he would sign himself out, and then walk across to his brother’s house. He just needed us for a ride.

This happened nearly every day. It was to the point that even many of the locals would know him, and instead of calling 911, they would just call the station and let us know Ricky needed a ride again.

One day we caught a break. Ricky pulled his stunt in front of the wrong person. The local judge happen to be in the area, and witness Ricky place his glasses in a mailbox, then clean the snow off the ground and lie down. It took only a couple of days, and a mound of run sheets to get the judge to issue the order. We did not have to take him anymore, sick or not. Crying wolf had finally caught up with him.

That was the last we ever seen of Ricky. We heard from him one last time, as he sent us a letter from Michigan telling us that he was seeing us, and representing himself. We had a good laugh over it, and a few of us got together and wrote a letter to the local EMS station where Ricky was living.

The letter simply said.

Dear EMS

“We are sorry, but if Ricky ever has anything higher than a 5, he is probably really dying.”

P.S. “The EMS personnel of our station thank you, and wish you the best.”