KFVS12 News & Weather Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Poplar BluffMaking it out alive - surviving a car crash

Making it out alive - surviving a car crash
By: Susan Stiegman

The numbers are staggering -- every 13 minutes, someone dies in a motor vehicle accident. Would you know what to do if you were in a car crash? Paducah rescue crews helped us set up a mock accident scene to show us the steps to surviving what can be a very traumatic incident.

The alarm sounds at Mercy Regional. "We have a one vehicle accident," says the dispatcher. "A car has hit a telephone pole." Unexpected events and adrenaline rushes are just part of the job for Mercy Regional Paramedics Rickie Driskill and Micah Tolbert. Today's call is a mock drill -- I'm at the wheel. But a life or death lesson is about to be learned.

The sirens represent an alarming figure. More than 43,000 people died last year in motor vehicle accidents. That's the highest number since 1990. It's a rising trend reflected in Western Kentucky. "Last year, we did more than 10,000 emergency runs in a 12-month period," notes Driskill.

Accidents are often synonymous with injuries. "When we're driving up to a scene, we look for what the vehicle struck," says Driskill. "That tells us what type of injuries we can expect on the patient." Often, a victim is unable to get out of the car when an accident occurs, which was the case in our mock drill. "You just stay as still as you can," Paducah Fire Department Captain Daniel Pandolfi reassured me. "Mercy (Regional) is here. We'll get you out."

Like Driskill and Tolbert, Captain Pandolfi has seen his share of accidents. He puts a stabilization collar on my neck and tells me to cross my arms to help brace myself for the move from the car to the stretcher. Paramedics say if you don't see fire, stay in the car and let them do their job and get you out. "If you can stay where you are, you are better off," advises Pandolfi. "If you get out, you're libel to pass out and somebody is likely to hit you. So if there's not fire, just sit still."

Even if you think you're fine, paramedics say sit tight. "A lot of times if you have neck injuries, you don't feel them until later," says Driskill. "Remaining calm and still can keep you from harming yourself later." The ideal time to get from an accident scene to the hospital is known as the "Golden Hour." During an emergency, every second counts. "The chances of a patient leaving the hospital is a lot higher if we get him to there within that hour," says Driskill.

While time is of the essence, there's another tool that Driskill says is equally as important. "Since they (lawmakers) evoked the seat belt laws, it has saved countless lives," he says. 58% of the people killed in vehicle accidents last year, were not wearing seat belts. Buckling up is where a safety plan begins. Sitting still, remaining calm and trusting rescue workers is what it entails. "The cars can be replaced, so don't get too excited about that," says Pandolfi. "The patient's safety and your safety, that's the main thing."