"The Boogie-man does exist!"

 "The Boogie-man does exist!"
Caleb Causey; Lone Star Medics
6June2013 (Remember D-Day!)

   So I'm jolted out of bed by my dog notifying me that the thunder and lightning are going to get us... at 03:12hrs.  I check online with the local news’ website (WFAA.com) for a quick weather update and notice something; a lot of reports about people getting hurt.  While this isn’t “news” to me, it still drove home a message.  A message that people all around us are in fact getting hurt, injured, and even attacked by bad guys.  Some will argue that the numbers are so small that they’ll never be attacked or even injured… Tell that to those 211,006 people that were injured in a motor vehicle traffic crash in 2011 in Texas*.  That’s one person killed every 2 hours 54 minutes; one person injured every 2 minutes 29 seconds, one reportable crash occurring every 83 seconds*.  “Yea, you’re right the world is full of unicorns farting rainbows as they soar through big fluffy clouds made out of glitter.”  Anyway, here is what I found on the home page of WFAA.com this morning while failing to reassure Garrison-dog everything was “OK” and that the thunder wouldn’t get him.    

   I talk with a lot of people who say things like, "oh, that'll never happen to me" or "that never happens around here, I live in a "good" neighborhood".  My personal favorite, "Oh, I don't need an eight-hour class on how to handle all those big issues. I just need the basics." 
Well since you already know what you "need" to know; why are you wasting my time asking about my courses?  And I got a news flash for ya, pal... those "basics" of yours ain't cuttin' it!

   I took a screen shot of the local news website.  I've posted some of the articles below just to prove I'm not making this stuff up & in an attempt to show folks that this sort of thing IS happening.

Article #1: Physical attack / sexual assault, 2 injured, unknown how many previously – “New evidence about a multiple rape attack in Dallas”.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/crime/New-lead-new-evidence-in-North-Dallas-attempted-sexual-assaults-210353691.html 
Both women were out on early morning walks/runs when they were attacked by "friendly" man.  One woman even had her dog with her and was still attacked.  Not saying an IFAK would have helped much here; but perhaps a little MUC training from SouthNarc might have.  http://shivworks.com/?page_id=881  (Not trying to say it was the woman’s fault here, folks.  So don’t go there.)

Article #2: Pediatric GSW, 1 injured - Four year old boy with self-inflected gunshot wound.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/4-year-old-Dallas-boy-hospitalized-with-self-inflicted-gunshot-wound-210355771.html
As of later this morning the boy is recovering from a pistol caliber gsw to the shoulder.  However I'm willing to bet the parent/grandparent are self-proclaimed "responsible firearms owners".  How much firearms training/education have they done?  Did they teach what they know to their children?  My parents taught me about firearm safety at that age.  And since they were such "responsible" parents I'm sure they knew how to handle life-threatening injuries, had a family med kit, and knew how to use it. Yea, I know... I'm sorta holding them to a high standard, right?  YOU'RE DAMN RIGHT I AM!  They're parents and should be held to a higher standard.

Article #3: Crush injuries, 2 dead - Two men die from an unmanned fork-lift at work in Dallas.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/Two-men-crushed-by-unmanned-forklift-at-Dallas-business-210355471.html 
Not a lot of info yet, but seems the fork-lift rolled onto the two men and crushed them.  Do you know how to handle crush injuries?  Sure, there might not have been anything anyone could have done.  But does that mean you want to take that chance of not being ready or able to?

Article #4: Motor vehicle collision, 1 dead 3 injured - Sunnyvale man dies on way back home from an annual mission trip to Oklahoma.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/dallas/Sunnyvale-man-serving--210352361.html 
A 26 year old man was killed in a head-on motor vehicle collision and three others were injured also.  He went to help total strangers in another state and is killed returning home.  I'll look into the car wreck info more on what happened.

Article #5: Building collapse, 6 dead 13 injured- A building in PA collapsed.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/Mayor-6-dead-in-Philadelphia-building-collapse-210349161.html

Several people were inside the building during business hours.  Crush injuries and maybe some lacerations.  They were able to rescue an elderly lady early on Thursday and said she was in good condition.  Folks, this building collapsed on Wednesday morning! 

Article #6: School shooting, 3 injured- A man accused of a school shooting refused to show in court.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/local/210328271.html

This guy shoots up the place, gets arrested, gets out on a $50K bond and doesn't show up to court.  So he is still loose on the streets?  I'm sure he won’t hurt anyone... again.

Article #7: Youngest Manson follower denied parole.
http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/210371281.html

Charles Manson and his band of misfits... what else do I need to say here, folks?

Article #8: Bridge collapse
http://www.wfaa.com/news/national/210365581.html

An oversized 18-wheeler’s cargo hits a support beam on the bridge.  As the truck makes it across safely, the bridge collapses and sends two cars (three people) into the river.  They were rescued and are in good condition… luckily.  That could have gone real bad, real fast.
      

Article #9: Dallas teacher dies in car wreck but donates organs and saves 13 lives!
http://www.wfaa.com/news/education/Dallas-teacher-who-died-in-wreck-donates-organs-to-save-13-lives-210318001.html

This is a sad one, folks.  Brigitte Campbell, a 5^th grade science teacher was rear-ended at a red light with such force it sent her vehicle into a fatal collision against a concrete barrier.  Article doesn’t say if others were injured but with that much energy, I’d say that the occupant of the other car sustained some injuries as well.

   See people, the boogie-man does exist and he's just getting stronger.  I’m not writing this to try to sell our courses.  Creating “hype” is not my intention here.  I’m trying to breed awareness in the fact that you need to be prepared to handle these situations on your own until more help arrives.  You can ask any of our students and they’ll tell you that we constantly plead with them to take other’s courses similar to ours.  You’ll only learn more and become better prepared.

   Fortunately you’ve got a few options here.  1. Get adequate training on how to deal with severe injuries that happen to yourself or others.  2. Keep pretending no one ever gets hurt and it’ll never happen to you and watch them die.  3. Call someone and watch helplessly as your partner/loved-one bleeds out and dies before help gets there.  All of those choices are yours to make.  Be sure you choose wisely.

Drink Water,
Caleb

References:
WFAA TV, Channel 8 ABC; www.WFAA.com

Texas Department of Transportation; www.txdot.gov
*Data collected from Texas Peace Officer's Crash Reports (CR-3) received and processed by the Department as of June 19, 2012.

Comments

[Ron]

Hi Caleb,
I am enjoying your blog posts and really find this to be a pertinent topic. One of the things that has been on my mind a lot lately is how many people I see on Youtube that have gone out and purchased tactical medical kits with chest decompression needles, chest seals, tourniquets, NPA, etc. but have no idea how to use them. It seems that many in the "prepper" community feel that anything designed for "tactical medicine" is sexy and they have to have it. While I do think that having those supplies on hand COULD help in a serious medical emergency like a GSW to the chest, I think it is far more likely that they or someone they encounter will have a less lethal, but still potentially serious, medical emergency. Things like a fractured ankle, sunburn, laceration, dehydration, heat illness, allergic reaction, and a myriad of other things are likely to be encountered, especially by the layperson, recreationalist, or outdoorsman.
I also teach first aid, CPR, and wilderness medical courses in Washington State and one of the things I see is that I get lots of parents coming in to take courses. I always ask everyone why they are taking the class and what they would like to get out of the class the most. Perhaps the most common response I get from adults is that they want to be able to help their kids should an emergency occur. I certainly do applaud their desire to get some training before an emergency but I'd love to see families come in for training together. It is very likely that an adult may suffer an emergency and, hopefully, the mindset of family preparedness has occurred to them and they all have an idea what to do.
There is, indeed, a lot of apathy about the need for emergency medical training among the public and, unfortunately, too many people rely on being able to be rescued or aided by professional rescuers. I think that your blog entry demonstrates just how common the unexpected can and does happen. Those of us in the emergency response/EMS/LE/rescue arena certainly know that the old adage "Failure to plan is planning to fail" is true, I only wish more people realized it! I commend you and your efforts with Lone Star Medics and hope to see more valuable and pertinent blog entries again soon. Take care!
Ron

[Admin-Caleb]

I hear ya, Ron.
We're going to post some more articles about med kits. I will say for right now when it comes to med kits or IFAKs; the end-user needs to think of them as different levels or tiers of care. In a future article I'll talk about different things to consider when building or purchasing a med kit.
In our last "Medic 1" class we had two dads bring out their daughters (10-13 yrs of age). The girls loved it and really got into the scenarios. Even with all the fake blood and guts hanging off role players. The fathers' thinking was that while they are out hunting together (which they do frequently:) and if HE gets hurt they can render aid to him.
Thanks for the comments. We (I) really appreciate it. Keep up the work up there in WA. Those "hills" up there need to be taken serious.
-Caleb