I didn’t know what happened before I woke up being surrounded by medic people who were, I am sure, called by the concerned people to help me. I saw blood sprinkled on the floor as I breathe. I was dazed and sitting on the floor while I saw my legs sprawled infront of me.
I noticed people in white with orange lining in their uniform, talking to me. Then I vomit a lot of liquids. Alcohol my mind told me. Then I passed out still don’t know what was happening.
However, the good Lord probably awoke me – to prevent a further tragedy.
The people on white uniform told me to lay down on a flat board stretcher. They started to tie my legs on the board as I was lowering my body on it, too. But when my upper back touch the board, I felt a sudden tightening spasm on my spine beginning from my upper back, spreading up to my neck and down to my lower back. The spasm caused me to choke and cannot breathe at all. I felt my lungs are collapsing and there is heaviness in my chest.
So, I told them to stop as I fought to roll on my side. One of them, however, tried to prevent me to roll by pulling my shoulder while explaining I have to lay down on my back so that they can carry me on the stretcher and bring me to the hospital.
On a choking voice I manage to say, “Yes, but I cannot breathe, so, please, let me find a better position where I could breath.”
One of them probably sensed my predicament so he told the others to let me free and do what I want and probably telling them to get a soft blanket stretcher. As I turned to my right side, I felt the spasm slowly calm down and my lungs begun to expand again as I regain my breathing. Then I said, “Ok, I am now feeling better,” and tried to slowly turn flat on my back again.
I must be having relapsed as the next thing I felt was being carried off the ground then like a blink, I was in the hospital being x-rayed. From there, thank G-d, I was fully awake and know what was going on. I still felt a little dizzy but able to stand up and sit down when asked.
They asked me if I have a person to contact but I told them there was no need to disturb somebody because I was already feeling better. I also did not let them stitch my open wound in my right eyebrow and said I wanted to go home which they let me sign a waiver.
After signing the waiver, I went out from the emergency room, plugged down a taxi and went home.
The story reminded of another rescue did, many years ago, this time with me as part of the volunteered rescuers.
A passenger jeepney lost its brake and it lost its balance when the driver maneuvered it to the side of the road. The jeepney, fell on its side. Luckily all the passengers were able to come out unscathed except for one lady sitting on the front, next to the driver, who can’t get out because her ankle was caught between a jeepney part and the ground, plus, there was not enough space for her to move her legs to try pulling out her foot. Thank the Lord, she had no injury.
There were ten or more of us men who volunteered to try to make the jeepney back to its tire on the ground. So, we decided to lift its side. However, when we counted three and lift the body of the jeepney, the lady cried out with intense pain. As we continue to lift the jeepney, the more the lady cried but it seems no one was listening because we were still keen to continue what we were doing. Until one man must have heard and felt the pain of the woman suddenly shouted “Stopped, let us see why the woman is in pain!” so, in unison , we all drop the body of the jeepney we were all holding.
I went to see the woman and asked what the matter was. She then told me her foot was being cut by a part of the jeepney part. So I checked her foot that was now bleeding due to some skin that came off showing the white parts of the foot tendons and muscles.
I told the trouble to my companions, then we figured out what to do in order to free the woman’s foot. After studying the situation, we lift the part that was locking the woman’s foot to the ground and she was able to got out free. After she was out we continued what we first planned to do – making the jeepney stand on its four tires which we did in less than a minute without anyone shouting for pain.
My point of sharing these stories is as the title says. From those experiences, I thought of a theory that sometimes some accident victims die because rescuers don’t listen to any cries as signs of danger.
Like what happened to me and the woman. If I did not partially regained my consciousness to tell I was choking to death, I may have been put on the stretcher flat on my back and died because my lungs collapsed from the spasm that squeezed and prevented it from functioning. And in the case of the woman whose foot may have been cut or crushed and became useless if not one of us listened to her pleas.
As a conclusion, one unsolicited is what I am going to give: Rescuers, listen to your would be victims! If they’re unconscious, imagine what’s the best way to help in order to avoid the predicament the woman and I went through – how to avoid causing death to those supposed to be needing help.
