Two rescues on Tuesday

[SAR-EMT40]

A synopsis from the Conway Daily Sun.


A couple of Hikers on Hutman’s Trail in Jackson and near Arethusa Falls in Hart’s Location had to be carried out Tuesday, one for a heart attack and the other with a broken ankle.

Brain Abrams of NHF&G reported that a 58 year old woman Doris Chippendale was hiking on Hutmans trail with her nephew started experiencing severe chest pain about a half mile from Route 16. A woman hiking with her ran out to the road to get help at 12:06PM. Abrams said they arrived with a litter and wheel at 12:56 and had her out by 1:45PM. She was initially transported to Memorial Hospital in North Conway but was later flown to Maine Medical Center in Portland.“It appears she suffered a heart attack,” Abrams said.
Fish and Game, Bartlett Jackson Ambulance, Jackson Fire Department, SOLO (Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities) and North Conway Fire Department responded.


A WFR class from SOLO was planning a 1 p.m. practice drill. When they and North Conway fire arrived for the real emergency at Hutman’s, Chippendale was off the trail. That’s when the second call sounded — just one minute after the first rescue. “It worked out good that they were there,” Abrams said. "We asked them to help at Arethusa.”

At Arethusa a 52 year old female Linda Ratto of Medford, N.Y., was hiking with family and friends on the Arethusa Trail. They had made it to the falls and were on the way down when Ratto rolled her ankle. “It was a compound fracture,” Abrams said. The rescue team splinted and iced it. The rescuers arrived at Arethusa (trail head) at 2:12 and had her out at the trailhead by 4:04 p.m. Ratto was also transported to Memorial Hospital. “She was wearing low-cut sneakers,” Abrams said. “Hiking boots that fall above the ankle would’ve offered more support.” The same agencies and rescue groups responded to both incidents.
“It was a good effort up there,” Abrams said.

 

[peakbagger-paul]

Any word on how these hikers are doing?

 

[SAR-EMT40]

Any word on how these hikers are doing?

Sorry, nothing more listed today on their conditions. I expect we won't hear any more.

Keith

 

[Pamola]

ugh. Compound ankle fracture. That sounds particularly painful. Good luck to them on the loooong rehab road.

Do SAR folks sometimes come across injuries that give them pause? Or are you inured to blood and guts/spectacularly focused on the task at hand?
Seeing something like this would probably make me queasy.

 

[SAR-EMT40]

ugh. Compound ankle fracture. That sounds particularly painful. Good luck to them on the loooong rehab road.

Do SAR folks sometimes come across injuries that give them pause? Or are you inured to blood and guts/spectacularly focused on the task at hand?
Seeing something like this would probably make me queasy.

WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT Just be warned

Some may be offended.

Trust me. A compound fracture isn't the worst thing out there. Emergency workers all seem to have certain things they see or smell that really bothers them. I personally have trouble with eye injuries. Not talking about someone smacked in the eye. Talking about things impaled or eyeball falling out or cut etc. I just don't like them and they bother me. The smell of vomit is anouther that some times bothers me. Most other things with the exception of badly hurt kids I can handle. Mind you I don't get queasy, at least not that I remember. But kids are upsetting. Not to be overly graphic but there are a several types of injuries I have heard about or seen pictures of that would make me pucker up, and I don't mean my mouth. Not saying I like seeing them but amputations don't bother me very much. Crush injuries are really terrible injuries to have to work on. You do focus on the task at hand. If they are screaming that really bothers me also. If they are truly injured than you feel badly for them. If they aren't really hurt bad you really want them to shut up so you can do your job properly. Screaming can rattle some people. Let me make it clear that the amount of screaming does not relate to how badly injured someone is. You are trying to do the best you can for this individual and that does occupy your mind. Afterwards, when you sit down, the adrenalin dump and then the shaking sometimes occurs.

Truthfully in the years I have been doing this I have never actually seen any rescue worker barf that I can remember. I did hear of one rescue that several did. I won't go into how bad that one was but it did involve a child and was traumatic for several of the EMT's.

Not saying no one gets queasy. But queasy you can work through and your colleagues don't know. If you are projectile vomiting, now that is gonna be hard for you to hide from your colleagues.

Keith