Roadside Tragedy: Father Gives First Aid to His Own Son

When learning First Aid it is important to realize that the new skills you learn are most likely to be used on a member of your own family. Reported in the Daily Telegraph this week, it became a tragic reality for the Marshall family.

If you didn’t read the article, here is a brief summary: 53 year old Guy Marshall had stopped at a road side motorcycle crash only to discover the dying casualty was his own teenage son, Thomas.

Mr Marshall, an Optometrist, had no idea that his 18 year old, A-Level student son had been involved in the collision when he stopped to help.

"When I arrived people had stopped but no one was tending to him," he is reported as saying. "I jumped out of my car to see if I could help and then realized it was my son.

"I supposed I instantly switched into lay responder mode but then was still aware it was my boy. Not an hour goes by that I don't think of being on that road with him."

According to the report, Thomas had a pulse and was still moving when Mr Marshall arrived on scene but Thomas was pronounced dead when paramedics arrived at the scene.

Mr Marshall is a trained First Aider able to deal with emergencies and his mother, Wendy is a practice Nurse. They have two older children Alex (22) and Sophie (19). Our condolences go out to the whole family.

This story has me in no doubt just how important our First Aid skills really are.

Perhaps you have been on a First Aid course because your employer asked you to attend. Perhaps you’re not convinced it’s a skill you will ever get to use. Perhaps you thought it was something you had to learn “just in case” it is needed in your workplace. Whatever your thinking, learning first aid is vital for everyone. It is a skill that once learned will stay with you for life. It’s a skill that you will be able to apply anywhere and everywhere.

We often tell our course participants that the skills they learn during the course are skills they are more likely to use with their own family members.

Mr Marshall’s son had a much better chance of survival with his presence than he would ever have had without him – after all you only have to read what Mr Marshall said “no one was tending to him (Thomas)” to realize how important immediate action really is in such a situation.

Would you want to be one of those bystanders, unwilling or unable to do anything? I know I wouldn’t. If it’s time to renew your certification or update your skills, do yourself a favor and book on the course right now while it is still fresh in your mind.

Would You Know How to Treat Cardiac Arrest? USA promotes National CPR/AED Awareness Week - 1-7 June 09

As the USA gears up for National CPR/AED Awareness Week from today 1st June through to 7th June 2009... a week dedicated by the US Congress to raising awareness... it made me wonder just how many of us really know what to do when faced with a family member/friend/colleague who has a Cardiac Arrest in front of us?
A Cardiac Arrest occurs when the heart stops beating. More and more businesses, schools and shopping centres have Automated External Defibrillators (AED's) on site, as research clearly shows that the prompt application of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR... that thing you do when you press on someone's chest and then breath into their mouth!) and an AED increase a person's chance of survival.

When a person goes into cardiac arrest, in most cases, the heart will fibrillate (this means it will shake; I describe it as "like a jelly, wobbling on a plate"). The only way to stop fibrillation of the heart is with a de-fibrillator (AED for short) An AED provides a carefully controlled, electrical impulse (shock) to the heart to get it to start working again. The prompt application of an AED with CPR can improve survival rates - that's why it is so vital that you, as a First Aider, call an ambulance as soon as you realise what is wrong with the person.

So let's work alongside our US cousins across the Big Pond, and update our knowledge on the treatment for someone in Cardiac Arrest. Ask your family members if they know...and if they don't know what to do, help educate them by explaining the importance of help and encouraging them to do a First Aid training course... your life might depend on it.

Until our next encounter... Keep happy, healthy and safe.