The Chronicles of Medic Bob

Race Against The Storm

"What's happened?" Bob repeated, grateful now that the rain seemed to be dying down a bit.

"We were walking on the path, and then there was a flash of lightning and this big branch from a gum tree came down and landed right on top of us" Dec rambled back in a rush, eyes darting fretfully around as the other crew from the car behind came up to see what was going on.

"Did the branch land on either of you?" Bob questioned, feeling fear rising in his gut as Dec shakily nodded in reply.

"Ant- Oh God, Bob, Ant's trapped under it, and there's a branch in his stomach, he's bleeding everywhere!" he cried, another frightened drop of salty water creeping over his lash.

A chorus of horrified gasps echoed from the group behind them, as Bob pushed his own fear back down into his stomach and took immediate charge of the situation.

"Right: second car stays up here, one of you needs to call an ambulance down here - and tell them they'll need the off-road vehicle."

Ranger Steve - as he was known - nodded worriedly and pulled out his phone as he clambered back into the car.

"Rick, Chris, Marty, and I will go down the trail and suss out the situation" Bob continued, gesturing to each person in turn, "If anything changes, I'll radio one of you guys up here so you can let the ambos know."

The crew from the second car nodded in understanding, before Bob gestured for the other three aforementioned men to gather the gear in the back of their Range Rover. When everyone was ready, he turned back to Dec with a resignedly determined glint in his eyes.

"Lead the way, son" he ordered, gesturing towards the gap in the trees.

*****

It took about five minutes of clambering unsteadily down the uneven path, but eventually the team rounded a corner in the track and were greeted by a horrific sight.

True to Dec's story, there was a sizable gum branch that had been brought down by the storm, and the splintered end was currently resting precariously in a hollow cavity - an abdominal cavity, that is.

Bob took pride in having a strong stomach - he had to, given what he had seen as a paramedic of some thirty plus years experience - but the sight of the sharp end of the eucalyptus branch sticking out of Ant's abdomen, with blood coating the dirt around it and some of it having splashed onto the bark of the branch was enough to almost make him want to vomit.

As they got closer, he also had a rising suspicion of some other injuries. Namely, possible femur fractures - given how he had spotted that both of Ant's feet had been awkwardly rotated and appeared much shorter than usual.

He winced internally at that - femur fractures were bad enough, but bilateral femur fractures? Double ouch.....

Walking around his patient, Bob's keen eye was looking for any evidence of other external injuries. All he could see was the heaviest part of the branch currently sitting heavily on Ant's upper legs (hence the likely femur fractures), and evidence of some type of head wound - given the blood on the dirt surrounding his head, like some sort of macabre halo.

He also appeared - for the most part - to be unconscious.

Bob took out his radio to update the crew back on the main trail, and then sent Marty back up to the car for the chainsaw.

Once he'd sprinted off, he knelt down beside Ant's motionless form and began checking him over.

Primary survey completed - with no obvious life-threats to his airway, breathing, or circulation - he moved straight onto his head-to-toe assessment. This would give him a more thorough examination and a better idea of any injuries that Ant could potentially have.