The Night Logic Didn’t Have a Leg to Stand On
Some people leave you absolutely baffled at how they’re out here surviving day to day. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, someone takes “functioning against all odds” to a whole new level. This story is one of those jaw-dropping reminders.
The Night Logic Didn’t Have a Leg to Stand On
I was a paramedic in Alabama once upon a time, and on weekends, we had one ambulance to cover our county. My partner, another female, was half my size, but we made an amazing team and managed even some of the most difficult moments, unassisted. One summer night, we received a call about a car that had flipped over a hill and onto the train tracks. When I say we had nobody to call for help, I mean, there was no help for more than 50 miles in either direction. We were on our own. When we arrived, however, the story took a surprising turn. The patient was at the top of the hill, where he somehow landed, as the car flipped onto its roof, with the tip of the front bumper barely touching the train tracks. We load him up into the ambulance so we can get a better look at him and his injuries.
Our first question, "Sir, was there anyone else in the car with you?"
Why, you ask?
Because he had no legs...
But there's more! He told us no, saying he was out driving because he was mad at his wife. Our first question: "Did you have prosthetics on that we need to try to find real quick?"
He answers "No."
Me: "Then how were you driving??"
Him: "With a stick!"
My partner and I gave each other "the look" and got back to work. She set me up for an IV, and as I started the IV, the man screamed like someone was about to murder him.
Me: "What's wrong?!"
Him: "You can't stick me with that!"
Me: "Why not?"
Him: "Because I have internal bleeding!!"
My partner and I, in unison: "THAT'S WHY YOU NEED IT!"
He got the IV, we took him to the closest trauma center, which was in a TOTALLY DIFFERENT STATE but still closer than a local hospital in the same state... I don't know what happened to him after that night, but we still talk about this 20 years later!!
