Member-only story
Painful Lessons
A few simple things can help avoid bad outcomes
Today, as I was strolling down one of the city’s grand vistas on my way to the local supermarket, I saw a cyclist proceeding at speed along the other side of the road. Moments later a car door opened directly in her path, instantly arresting the forward movement of her bicycle and throwing the rider over the handlebars and onto the tarmac.
Though I’m now old and decrepit, I can still move quickly when necessary and so I was at the rider’s side within five seconds. All my old training kicked in and I went through the evaluation procedures. Within 90 seconds I’d ascertained she was conscious, bruised but without serious injury, all vital signs stable, and proceeding to go into mild shock. I covered her with my jacket and cursed the fact I’d removed all useful items from my patrol pack earlier in the day — so I had no knife to cut away the strap of her backpack that was impeding blood flow to her injured arm, nor my usual one liter canteen of water with which to ensure she could remain hydrated.
So far, however, mostly so good. Now bystanders began to gather around, curious about the spectacle of a young woman sprawled in the middle of the road, her bike nearby, and the bemused owner of the car telling everyone who’d listen that his door would no longer shut due to the force of the impact…
