[MissTwisties]

On my way back from visiting my family yesterday, I came up to a motorcycle accident just before the U.S. border. For those of you in Vermont, you know where it is, near Rock Island/Derby.

I stopped and couldn't see the bike very well, beside the fact that it was layed down on it's side. I could see the bike from under and didn't notice at first that it seemed to be a small bike with the wheels kinda close to each other. It was definitely not a cruiser anyway. I ask a small group of people if they needed help, and one of the guys turned around towards me and with a real queer voice said "Oh no thank you", giving me the flying hand with broken wrist type of wave. So I ask him "Is this a sportbike on the side of the road?" He answer, again with that annoying queer voice "No no, not a "spurt bike", it's a motorcycle" I tell him "well a sportbike *IS* a motorcycle" and he to answer me again the same thing, then wooshed at me with his hand as if he was telling me to go away. He turns to his friends and they all start LAUGHING. WTF?!! There is a lifeless guy on the ground, and they find the guts to fuckin laugh.

There was another sportbike (more like sport touring bike) parked on the side, and the rider was bent over the victim, watching over him, but no one was doing any CPR or first aid as far as I could tell. That's why I thought the other bike was a sportbike at first, thinking they were probably riding together. Glancing again at the bike on it's side, I finally realized it looked kinda small, and thought maybe it was a scooter, I just couldn't be sure. I left the scene and went to eat with my daughter at a place before the border. When we were checking out, 2 guys were talking about the accident, and one of them said that when he drove past it, he saw the emergency response guys administer CPR, pushing on it's chest trying to restart the heart. I felt a hole getting bigger inside me, and got angry at myself for not getting out of my car after that guy basically shooed me away. I am CPR/First Aid certified. I could have done something, and I didn't because of some asshat just laughing with his buddies and standing there doing nothing himself.

This might have been a teenager laying there, he's probably dead from the looks of it, and maybe I could have helped him.

edit: I have tried to find local news for that area, and I can't. All I find is some random site who claims having news for a bunch of different areas thru the US and Canada, but they have nothing.

[bergs]

While the outlook of the rider doesn't sound ideal, don't beat yourself up for the way you reacted.

As much as it bothers you, what's done is done....no sense in dwelling on it.

[Kham]

i don't get the "hole getting bigger inside me".

[bottoj]

Originally Posted by Kham

i don't get the "hole getting bigger inside me".

I do, and it is pretty obvious

I think this "hole" she is referring to was guilt, or her conscience.

On a more serious note, you cannot blame yourself for not helping. If you run through life thinking what could have been, you will never be happy.

[Honclfibr]

Maybe don't ask stupid questions at a crash site. I would have told you to go away too. Who the fuck cares what kind of bike it is?

[Kham]

and what brand sportbike?

[greenmonster]

Originally Posted by Honclfibr

Maybe don't ask stupid questions at a crash site. I would have told you to go away too. Who the fuck cares what kind of bike it is?

Give her a break ferchristsake. She was obviously upset and worried about the rider. I dont think she meant to imply what type of bike would influence her feelings. Like you said, she was at a crash site, and her reaction may not have been spot on. In hindsight, you think she asked stupid questions. Don't follow it up with stupid comments.

[Pigman]

Obviously she was concernd for them and wanted to help but was not able and felt bad that something could have been done but wasn't

[Honclfibr]

Ok, you're right, that wasn't constructive. Here, for future reference, is what I would suggest you do in a situation like this if you ever find yourself in it:

1) Announce any medical or other qualifications that you have upon reaching the scene ("I'm a doctor/nurse/EMT/forest ranger").

2) Ask/assess if there's anything you can do.

3) If not, get out of the way.

[DucDave]

Originally Posted by greenmonster

Give her a break ferchristsake. She was obviously upset and worried about the rider. I dont think she meant to imply what type of bike would influence her feelings. Like you said, she was at a crash site, and her reaction may not have been spot on. In hindsight, you think she asked stupid questions. Don't follow it up with stupid comments.

No shit....wtf are you idiots thinking about.

Mss Twisties....it's OK to feel distressed...perfectly normal under the circumstances. It's pretty obvious that the folks already there weren't looking for help. You offered...they declined...let it go!

[schleppy]

Don't feel guilty! In retrospect we sometimes don't do what we think we should have.

[greenmonster]

Like I said...with time to think about it, and having not been there, it's easy to find fault with what she said and did. To one degree or another, any one of us might flub up a thought or two...especially if we're looking at a dead man/woman on the side of the road.

[MissTwisties]

Honclfbr...you speak of me asking stupid questions....well you're pretty good at expressing stupid comments yourself. That was pretty heartless/inconsiderate if you ask me.

OBVIOUSLY, it wouldn't matter what type of bike, I would have stopped regardless of what they were riding/driving. I was disturbed when I arrived on the scene, I care a lot about people being injured and will always stop and offer to help. I didn't even think of saying that I was certified, and that is one of the things that upset me the most..."How could I forget to mention it??" Basically, they answered "no" when I asked if I could help this person, they answered for the rider, when the rider himself/herself could not answer for themselves. I know it's no use to dwell on it...

[Doc]

I just make a scene assesment...

Bunch of people standing around looking like idiots... I ask if anyone called 911 and I move on.

People running and panicing I usually try to check it out further and see if I can help.

Don't beat yourself MissT. You can't save them all and CPR doesn't work most of the time anyway.

[Brit-Triple]

Hey, don't beat yourself up, ( and guys cut her some slack) unless you are an emt and see alot of accidents, most people turn to crap in a stressful situation, it is an overload to the system. I was in upstate NY and there was an accident, a sheriff showed up (very green) and he looked shocked, I jumped in and started doing what I do at work all the time. Triaged people quick, sent ambulances to who needed it, told the rookie to call for help with directing traffic, etc. 10 min later a veteran came by and the Who T F is this in the street telling people what to do. You have been christened, the next time shit hits the fan, you will be more gung ho and do what you think needs to be done, the same with that rookie, it was probably his first bad accident scene. Also, carry one of those portable masks in your purse/belongings if you are ever going to think about rescue breathing.

[MissTwisties]

Yeah I remember asking them if they called 911 and they did. It just pisses me off that these people (and yes, they looked like idiots just standing there) were able to burst laughing while someone was dying, or probably already dead, laying right in front of them. The other rider was not laughing... He was crouched next to the victim, and had a hand on him. Sucks.

[Honclfibr]

Tell me why you chose that time to strike up a debate on the differences between a sportbike and a motorcycle, and I'll tell you why those people were laughing.

[MissTwisties]

Originally Posted by Honclfibr

Tell me why you chose that time to strike up a debate on the differences between a sportbike and a motorcycle, and I'll tell you why those people were laughing.

Fuck off.

[MattyC]

I wouldn't let it get you down. The downed rider might not have been able to be saved regardless or he might still be alive after some work in the hospital. Either way, bad things happen and you can't blame yourself for not taking care of it. After all, you were courteous enough to stop and see if the rider needed help. That's more than most people would do.

[Evil_Weasel]

Originally Posted by Honclfibr

Tell me why you chose that time to strike up a debate on the differences between a sportbike and a motorcycle, and I'll tell you why those people were laughing.

don't you know?? CPR procedure is differant depending on what you are riding. how would you like it if you crashed and some jack ass came running over and performed cruiser CPR instead of sport bike CPR on you? i'd be pissed...even more so if some one gave me ducati CPR rather than using the honda technique.

[Kham]

Originally Posted by Evil_Weasel

don't you know?? CPR procedure is differant depending on what you are riding. how would you like it if you crashed and some jack ass came running over and performed cruiser CPR instead of sport bike CPR on you? i'd be pissed...even more so if some one gave me ducati CPR rather than using the honda technique.

sorry...

[MissTwisties]

Originally Posted by Kham

sorry...

s'ok....it was kinda funny actually...

[Honclfibr]

Originally Posted by 04ZRX

Say V do what I did with that idiot, he is on my ignore list!

That guy is a dick.

[ChR1s]

Originally Posted by 04ZRX

Say V do what I did with that idiot, he is on my ignore list!

Originally Posted by Honclfibr

That guy is a dick.