John: “Yeah okay.”

Tina: “Can you tell me where you are hurting?” She began her assessment of the patient.

John: “My whole body.” He said nonspecifically.

Tina: “You need to be more specific. What hurts exactly?” She restated her question.

John: “My head and left side.”

Tina: “Do you know if you lost consciousness after the collision? Can you remember?”

John: “I don’t know I just remember driving through the intersection and then I was sitting here.” He tried to remember.

Tina: “Okay that’s fine. Are you having any trouble breathing?”

John: “No not really.” His words were beginning to slur.

Bradley applied oxygen and they let rescue know that their patient was becoming unstable and they needed to hurry.

Bette, Ryan, Jason, Tom, and Kenny were the rescue team for the day. Ryan Grabbed the prying tool and Bette grabbed the cutting tool while the others directed traffic and set up large spot lights to ensure visibility at both cars. Bette and Ryan carefully switched back and forth with maneuvers until they removed the doors. The other ambulance was just pulling off as Ryan slid the feet end of the back board under the patients left hip. Several personnel helped maneuver the patient to where he was laying on his back on the board. They secured his head to the board with head bed and tape before strapping him down on the board.

They carried him over to the stretcher and strapped him down again before placing him into the ambulance. Tina and Bradley entered the back with him to assess for injuries and began taking vitals and intubation. Between the time that Tina entered the car and they exited, John had become combative and incoherent. Tina also saw what she thought might be early signs of battle signs (bruising) behind the ears which meant skull fracture and significant head injury.

Tina: “Bette, can you drive the ambulance to the hospital for us? We need to leave now!” She asked and then shut the door.

Bette told her partners and then drove code 3 to the hospital. The patient was unloaded and taken into the trauma room. Bette didn’t enter the ER, instead she stayed back to clean up the truck. Several minutes passed before Tina reappeared outside.