A Story about a fireman
Ben Hernke was a devoted fireman. He was a volunteer and had gone through all the the available training courses including arson investigation. As a boy he loved firetrucks and the sirens and lights and seeing the men with their boots, axes and fire helmets.
Ben had joined the volunteer fire department as soon as he was old enough and had been a 'cadet' before that even in high school. Some of his fellow students thought being a fire cadet was corny. He didn't care. He liked the guys at the fire house more than he liked his class mates. He even hung around the fire house and did chores that he didn't have to do.
Now it was many years later and he was called out to a car wreck. From the radio chatter it sounded pretty serious. The wreck was on old 31 just north of Henryville and it was about six miles from his house to the scene of the wreck. As ranking officer, he was rushing to the scene and calling in the directions for what units to be brought to the scene. From what he could tell, he would need a 'Jaws of Life' so he called for that.
It had been twilight when the call came in...but it was just that time of day when darkness falls swiftly and by the time he arrived at the wreck scene, Nathan had the big powered lights on his truck illuminating the area. Ben went first to the car that seemed to have the most damage, it was laying upside down in the tree line of the forestry one of the wheels was off the hub and the front end was mashed up...and not from the trees. He bent down and looked inside but couldn't see anything until he shined his flashlight into the cabin of the wreck. Before he saw, however, he already knew something of what had happened as the sour thick smell of alcohol
came to him. Alcohol and blood. The dead driver's skull was mashed in. Ben knew there was no hurry here.
He got up off his knees and crossed over to the ditch where the other car, an old Pontiac...pre airbag...was smashed up in the ditch and facing south.
The front end was smashed like an accordion and the steering column, he could see, had pushed in on the
driver and pinned him tight against his drivers seat.
"Hey Ben!" the driver called out when Ben peered in with his light. "Good to see you"
"It's a bad one you're in Johnny", said Ben.
The driver, pinned into his seat with the stearing wheel crushed up against his chest was Johnny Bagshaw. They had gone to high school together, though John was a few years behind Ben. Ben's mind was racing as he recalled, married pretty Nancy Miller, two kids, girls in elementary about 5th and 3rd grade. Hadn't they gotten a divorce? Considering the condition of the two vehicles, Johnny looked very good.
"Think you can get me outta this can?" Johnny asked.
"Might be able to help you on that" said Ben. "How are the girls?"
"Oh Damn Ben. Nancy has been blocking my visitation." Johnny paused. "But maybe she'll make an exception if they have to see me in the hospital where I have to bee - have' he grinned.
Ben looked more carefully at the steering wheel that was pinning Johnny. It looked extremely tight.
"Can't slide out from behind that steering wheel?"
"I tried already" said Johnny. "Just no way."
Ben's mind seemed to click through some of his elemental training in rendering aid in accidents. He thought about 'chest compression' injuries. But..surely this wasn't the case here. Johnny was alert and talkative and did not seem to be in any pain.
"How you feeling John?"
"I been better but I'll be ok. I ain't hurting too bad. I just need you to get me outta here."
Ben examined the seat adjustments. The easiest thing would be to just move the seat back if it would go and relieve the pressure from the wheel. But that wouldn't work. The seat was jammed back as far as it would go
and a mechanism was broken...or at least jammed. It wouldn't budge. Ben and some of the other firemen talked it over. They decided the best thing would be to cut the steering column and take him out from the front.
"Johnny, we are going to have to cut the steering column in two and there's going to be vibration. It could
hurt. If it gets to be too much you just shout out and let us know. We'll take a break." said Ben. Meanwhile
EMT's were checking the drivers blood pressure, and other vitals to make sure he was ok. They all checked
out ...a little erratic, but within reason considering the circumstance. The older EMT pulled Ben aside.
"I don't like the way that looks" he said.
"I didn't like it much either." said Ben.
"If the chest is crushed and the only thing holding him together is that steering wheel...." he didn't say anything else.
"We got no choice here"
"I know" said the EMT. "I just didn't want you to be surprised."
Ben peered in at Johnny. "We're getting ready to cut you loose."
"Good"
"Can you tell me what happened?" said Ben.
"Hell if I know...Just going along and I saw him coming. He was weaving a little then at the last
mean he pretty much swerved right at me. I couldn't see anything ...I thought I had been blinded! Then..when
I got stopped I realized it was the hood of the car smashed up so I couldn't see. I looked down and was
stuck here. Then you guys came along."
"damn" said Ben.
"Yeah. What happened to the other guy?" asked Johnny.
"He's dead. Drunk too I guess. Probably didn't have time to know what had happened from the
looks of it."
"Oh god."
"Yes. It's bad."
Johnny looked away for a moment. Emotions seemed to move across his features.
"I guess I'm lucky to be here."
"Yes. I guess so." said Ben. Johnny smiled at Ben. Ben smiled back at Johnny.
His crew cut through the steering column. Once they got started properly, it only took a few minutes to cut all the way through. Then one of Ben's burly boys pulled it out sideways. They got the steering wheel out and tossed it up to the front of the car.
"Ben get over here!!" yelled his crew leader.
Ben went in and peered in at Johnny. His face was ashen as the blood drained from his upper body and head. He tried to speak. But all he could do was move his mouth. His chest had been crushed and he had the worst condition possible. The steering wheel's pressure had held his insides in place. With the pressure gone, the broken insides simply collapsed and there was a massive bleed out inside Johnny.
Johnny looked into Ben's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry John"
Ben had joined the volunteer fire department as soon as he was old enough and had been a 'cadet' before that even in high school. Some of his fellow students thought being a fire cadet was corny. He didn't care. He liked the guys at the fire house more than he liked his class mates. He even hung around the fire house and did chores that he didn't have to do.
Now it was many years later and he was called out to a car wreck. From the radio chatter it sounded pretty serious. The wreck was on old 31 just north of Henryville and it was about six miles from his house to the scene of the wreck. As ranking officer, he was rushing to the scene and calling in the directions for what units to be brought to the scene. From what he could tell, he would need a 'Jaws of Life' so he called for that.
It had been twilight when the call came in...but it was just that time of day when darkness falls swiftly and by the time he arrived at the wreck scene, Nathan had the big powered lights on his truck illuminating the area. Ben went first to the car that seemed to have the most damage, it was laying upside down in the tree line of the forestry one of the wheels was off the hub and the front end was mashed up...and not from the trees. He bent down and looked inside but couldn't see anything until he shined his flashlight into the cabin of the wreck. Before he saw, however, he already knew something of what had happened as the sour thick smell of alcohol
came to him. Alcohol and blood. The dead driver's skull was mashed in. Ben knew there was no hurry here.
He got up off his knees and crossed over to the ditch where the other car, an old Pontiac...pre airbag...was smashed up in the ditch and facing south.
The front end was smashed like an accordion and the steering column, he could see, had pushed in on the
driver and pinned him tight against his drivers seat.
"Hey Ben!" the driver called out when Ben peered in with his light. "Good to see you"
"It's a bad one you're in Johnny", said Ben.
The driver, pinned into his seat with the stearing wheel crushed up against his chest was Johnny Bagshaw. They had gone to high school together, though John was a few years behind Ben. Ben's mind was racing as he recalled, married pretty Nancy Miller, two kids, girls in elementary about 5th and 3rd grade. Hadn't they gotten a divorce? Considering the condition of the two vehicles, Johnny looked very good.
"Think you can get me outta this can?" Johnny asked.
"Might be able to help you on that" said Ben. "How are the girls?"
"Oh Damn Ben. Nancy has been blocking my visitation." Johnny paused. "But maybe she'll make an exception if they have to see me in the hospital where I have to bee - have' he grinned.
Ben looked more carefully at the steering wheel that was pinning Johnny. It looked extremely tight.
"Can't slide out from behind that steering wheel?"
"I tried already" said Johnny. "Just no way."
Ben's mind seemed to click through some of his elemental training in rendering aid in accidents. He thought about 'chest compression' injuries. But..surely this wasn't the case here. Johnny was alert and talkative and did not seem to be in any pain.
"How you feeling John?"
"I been better but I'll be ok. I ain't hurting too bad. I just need you to get me outta here."
Ben examined the seat adjustments. The easiest thing would be to just move the seat back if it would go and relieve the pressure from the wheel. But that wouldn't work. The seat was jammed back as far as it would go
and a mechanism was broken...or at least jammed. It wouldn't budge. Ben and some of the other firemen talked it over. They decided the best thing would be to cut the steering column and take him out from the front.
"Johnny, we are going to have to cut the steering column in two and there's going to be vibration. It could
hurt. If it gets to be too much you just shout out and let us know. We'll take a break." said Ben. Meanwhile
EMT's were checking the drivers blood pressure, and other vitals to make sure he was ok. They all checked
out ...a little erratic, but within reason considering the circumstance. The older EMT pulled Ben aside.
"I don't like the way that looks" he said.
"I didn't like it much either." said Ben.
"If the chest is crushed and the only thing holding him together is that steering wheel...." he didn't say anything else.
"We got no choice here"
"I know" said the EMT. "I just didn't want you to be surprised."
Ben peered in at Johnny. "We're getting ready to cut you loose."
"Good"
"Can you tell me what happened?" said Ben.
"Hell if I know...Just going along and I saw him coming. He was weaving a little then at the last
mean he pretty much swerved right at me. I couldn't see anything ...I thought I had been blinded! Then..when
I got stopped I realized it was the hood of the car smashed up so I couldn't see. I looked down and was
stuck here. Then you guys came along."
"damn" said Ben.
"Yeah. What happened to the other guy?" asked Johnny.
"He's dead. Drunk too I guess. Probably didn't have time to know what had happened from the
looks of it."
"Oh god."
"Yes. It's bad."
Johnny looked away for a moment. Emotions seemed to move across his features.
"I guess I'm lucky to be here."
"Yes. I guess so." said Ben. Johnny smiled at Ben. Ben smiled back at Johnny.
His crew cut through the steering column. Once they got started properly, it only took a few minutes to cut all the way through. Then one of Ben's burly boys pulled it out sideways. They got the steering wheel out and tossed it up to the front of the car.
"Ben get over here!!" yelled his crew leader.
Ben went in and peered in at Johnny. His face was ashen as the blood drained from his upper body and head. He tried to speak. But all he could do was move his mouth. His chest had been crushed and he had the worst condition possible. The steering wheel's pressure had held his insides in place. With the pressure gone, the broken insides simply collapsed and there was a massive bleed out inside Johnny.
Johnny looked into Ben's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry John"
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