being a marshal has helped me save a life - 10-Tenths Motorsport Forum

aland · 26 Nov 2009, 12:21

my mum took seriously ill on tuesday (as any of the knockhill gang will have seen from facebook) i can honestly say that it was the training and experience i gained from being a marshal that ultimately saved her life. as we all know on the bank we have to be cool and strong under pressure and act clearly and positively. it was those skills that helped when at the time i thought she was starting a stroke, it turned out that a major infection had caused her bp to drop to 50 and that was the cause of the slurred speech and lethargy. thankfully the resus team stabilised her and although she is still in intensive care she should make a full recovery

thanks to what i know and use at knockhill I was able to assess her, call the ES, explain the condition and when the ES arrived assist and not flap or panic. so to all the guys on here that have given me advice and the knockhill guys for the training and experience a bloody massive thanks

ZombieSheep · 26 Nov 2009, 13:16

I'm very glad to hear she's getting expert care and is on the mend. I just hope I would have the presence of mind should (God forbid) a similar situation ever come up for me.

arnage arnie · 26 Nov 2009, 16:31

Glad to hear your Mum's on the mend. I agree with what you are saying-I'm pretty certain I would be able to cope with something like a RTA much better since I've been marshalling and is it just me or does anyone else check the extinguishers at work regularly?

White flag man · 26 Nov 2009, 22:27

Well done Alan. Glad to hear your mum is now getting better and please give her all our very best wishes. Helped out with an RTA on the A11 a couple of years ago. Something I may not have done before I started marshalling.

aland · 27 Nov 2009, 10:46

cheers guys, funny thing is that although i have only been marshalling 2 years i have had been 1st on the scene at 3 RTA's one was a girl that went off on mud and half rolled and 2 bikers that lost it, in that situation you just switch on as a marshal, out of the car, orange jacket on, grab firebottle and deal like you would at the track. on tuesday night it was a totally different situation as it was someone i was very close to. at the track whilst we know drivers and may even be mates with them the closest bond is probably having a beer with him/her

Mike E · 27 Nov 2009, 11:14

Re Arnage Arnie's comment. I check extinguishers at work too, but something made me laugh the other day. The kitchen door has the usual 'Fire door, keep closed' sign on it, and it was propped open with an extinguisher! I moved it...

Mark Mitchell · 27 Nov 2009, 13:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by aland

at the time I thought she was starting a stroke, it turned out that a major infection had caused her bp to drop to 50 and that was the cause of the slurred speech and lethargy

This is actually fairly common with some infections. I have been out to a few recently and the presenting condition is similar to that of someone suffering a TIA or CVA.
Not nice to see.......especially if it's a loved-one but in most cases, a course of abx will usually do the trick!

Well done for spotting the signs and getting her sorted!

Matthews Dad · 27 Nov 2009, 18:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Mitchell

This is actually fairly common with some infections. I have been out to a few recently and the presenting condition is similar to that of someone suffering a TIA or CVA.
Not nice to see.......especially if it's a loved-one but in most cases, a course of abx will usually do the trick!

Well done for spotting the signs and getting her sorted!

So says the professional!

Have to agree that training does count, but like MArk i come in to marshalling with a health service background so am not sure what comes first the marshalling or the other training, but both give confidence to deal with situations

aland · 27 Nov 2009, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark Mitchell

This is actually fairly common with some infections. I have been out to a few recently and the presenting condition is similar to that of someone suffering a TIA or CVA.
Not nice to see.......especially if it's a loved-one but in most cases, a course of abx will usually do the trick!

Well done for spotting the signs and getting her sorted!

cheers Mark, she is still in high dependency but is doing well, BP and heart is normal and the mega doses of anti-biotics are doing their stuff

Hepatic · 28 Nov 2009, 01:21

glad to hear she is doing well. the training does kick in usually without you knowing it, which is how you know that what you are doing is right. it helped lots in the accident i was in a few years back, and when 2 cars hit head on right outside my house. in that case after i'd directed traffic, sat with one of the drivers until the medics turned up, i then ended up grabbing my brush to clean up

Gerryc · 28 Nov 2009, 10:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hepatic

glad to hear she is doing well. the training does kick in usually without you knowing it, which is how you know that what you are doing is right. it helped lots in the accident i was in a few years back, and when 2 cars hit head on right outside my house. in that case after i'd directed traffic, sat with one of the drivers until the medics turned up, i then ended up grabbing my brush to clean up

The fire service did comment on my kicking debris off the road when I was first on-scene at an RTA a few years ago. It all seemed so natural at the time:
1. Make the area safe (ignitions / traffic management)
2. Assess the potential casualties
3. Get someone to call the cavalry while I stayed with the injured one
4. Report to the emergency services on their arrival and "hand over" the casualty to them.
5. Clear up the scene!

You only stop to think afterwards.

blueflagger · 30 Nov 2009, 00:17

aland, that's great news that you were able to keep a cool head and help your mum. I think many of us have had similar experiences where our marshal training comes to the fore and helps us help others.

I once took charge when a coworker walked through a glass wall and got several cuts, one major. Everybody else just panicked. The odd thing is that I had been badgering my boss because nobody at the warehouse location had First Responder training and he didn't think it was necessary. Wrong. Nobody else even remembered where the first aid kit was.

We hope your mum makes a full recovery.

aland · 30 Nov 2009, 09:59

cheers blueflagger, she got oit of high dependency on saturday and has been up, bathed and walked 6 inches yesterday so doing really well. physio will be working with her along with the dermatoligist for the leg ulcers, overall bloody great progress

Gerryc · 30 Nov 2009, 14:07

That's great to hear Alan.