Crash

I'm in the back, helping my preceptee with an IV. I repositon the catheter to get a blood flow, and then pull out the needle, occluding the vein with my left hand while I reach for the saline lock. All of a sudden we are decelerating and I start sliding to my right, and I keep sliding. Our patient who is c-spined after a fall resulting from a seizure and who is complaining of neck pain, slids along with me. Then his harness catches and whoa! I am deep in the net at the end of the bench and we are stopped. I look out the side window and see a car in front of our bumper. We've been in a crash. Fortunately, no one is hurt. Amazingly to me I still have his vein occluded and not a drop of blood has spilled, although I think I have permanently indented my fingers into the man's arm. I have lost the lock and my preceptee has to draw up another one while we wait for another ambulance to come and take our patient.

I feel lucky, particularly when I read the dailyAmbulance Crash Log.

I also love that net.