Call of Duty

Earlier today we had to respond to an emergency. We were driving home when we saw the scene of a vehicular accident involving a motorcycle and an SUV.

According to bystander reports, the speeding SUV whose driver was DUI, sideswiped the motorcyle as it was merging into the lane from a junction.

When we arrived at the scene, the rider was flat on the ground. He was wearing rubber slip-on shoes, jeans, a regular jacket, and thankfully, a relatively good helmet. I say relatively, as I didn't recognize the brand, but it was well padded, and had a good fit, though it was matte black which I personally dislike.

All of his articles of clothing were actually dark, if not black. The shoes, jacket and helmet were black. Only his jeans weren't black, though they were a very dark blue.

The victim was fully conscious, though he complained of back, leg and knee pain. According to the rider, when he was sideswiped, the impact back-flipped him before he was thrown to the ground.

Due to the mechanism of injury, I feared that he may have sustained spinal injury. Nevertheless, I asked if he can wiggle his fingers and toes and if he can squeeze my fingers as I held his hand. His responses were all good. Just to be sure, I asked him to keep very still and maintain his in-line position.

Together with other concerned citizens, we directed traffic, kept the victim under an umbrella, constantly monitored his vital signs and checked for other injuries. 

Rescue services were quite fast. They arrived within about 15 minutes. I was particularly proud that in Manila, we have immediate ambulance services during these emergencies. 

There was a quick endorsement of the patient, then the rescue crew took over to apply a cervical collar, put the patient on a spine board, then on a gurney, then wheeled him off.




Analyzing the situation based on observations, I suppose that the driver, which may have been DUI, would have impaired reflexes and response time. He may have seen the rider, particularly as it was broad daylight, but it was already too late. I think the rider also would have been better off if he was more visible, particularly if he had reflective gear and body armor. Please note that this is purely my opinion and that I do not claim to be an expert on scene investigation.

I do hope that some good will come out of this, hoping that the rider would fully recover, the driver be charged if found to be at fault, and that all of us would realize that we share the road with other motorists and that we should have mutual respect for each other.

Be safe everyone!



OSW
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