Who Needs A Helmet?

Dispatch gave us an update while we were rolling. We were responding with Engine 110 for a traffic collision. Unfortunately the collision was between a vehicle and a high school student on her way to school.

Engine 110 arrived just before us. They were kneeling at the patient who was sprawled out on the street. The street was busy. It is a major artery in the city and cars get moving fast.A few feet away from the knot of firefighters there is a skateboard. Well, half of a skateboard. The other half was no where to be found.

The young woman was unconscious. The medic checked to see if she responded to painful stimulus.  She did. She contorted her body in decorticate posturing which is indicative of severe brain trauma. WE placed her in full spinal immobilization and loaded her up into the ambulance.

Since engine 110's crew only had 1 medic and we had two on my crew I road in to the hospital with the ambulance. In the back we started two IV's, placed her on the heart monitor and checked her CO2 levels. A more detailed head to toe exam was also done. There were no other injuries that were visible other than a bad goose egg on here head.

During transport the patients condition continued to worsen. She started having decerebrate posturing. Her brain was swelling and causing further injury.

At the trauma center we were met by the trauma doc and the neuro-surgeon. We gave our report and answered a couple of questions regarding the scene including probable speed of the vehicle that hit her. The surgical team whisked her away to CT for a brain scan and then I assume she went into surgery. The neurologist didn't have high hopes for a positive outcome.

She probably would have been at school the next day if she had been wearing a helmet.....correctly.