Kenneth

Hello now from Murdo, South Dakota where a major thunder-ripper just swept through the area and I’m happy to be indoors and have the bike covered. I have a bunch of photos and descriptions to share about the last two days of riding, but I first need to tell you about the events of yesterday (Sunday) evening.

Winding my way in the early evening along Wyoming’s route 14, I was nearing a nine thousand foot mountain pass when I came across several parked vehicles and a group of people gathered closely. There were several parked cars and *gulp* one motorcycle on its side. I had come across an accident scene.

I parked my bike and ran to the people. A man was lying on his back in a position that couldn’t possibly be comfortable. Clearly he was not comfortable; he was hurt. But he was conscious and talking – those were good signs.

“Has anyone called 911?” I asked. A woman told me that several cars had sped away in either direction, all with plans to call. “Are any of you trained for emergency care?” I asked next. No. Another gulp. “I’m an EMT” I said, much to the relief of the others. Their relief was understandable, yet my confidence was low. I have taken all the right training and passed all the right tests, yet I’ve never really put the training to use.

I kneeled before the injured man. “Hi, I’m Paul. I’m an EMT and I’d like to help you. What’s your name?” (This much I remembered from class). He responded. Kenneth knew where he was and he knew the date. He had a strong pulse and was breathing without difficulty.

A man at the scene mentioned that Kenneth’s pulse had been much faster at first but now was about normal. That same man had checked for any major bleeding and had put a blanket on Kenneth. Kenneth complained about back, chest and leg pain. Happily, he was able to move his feet and hands and he sensed when his extremities were touched.

With an ambulance on the way, I felt there was little more we could do for Kenneth other than keep him warm and talking. And so we did.

An SUV pulled up and two real EMTs came forward. They had oxygen, a backboard and other equipment needed to prepare Kenneth for transport once an actual ambulance arrived. I helped by holding Kenneth’s head straight relative to his body while others moved him enough to secure him to the backboard. (From EMT class, this is known as “taking c-spine,” or supporting the cervical spine so to help minimize potentially-paralyzing damage).

As the EMTs asked Kenneth about his medical history and the medications he regularly takes, I realized that should have asked these and other questions earlier and recorded the answers. What if Kenneth had lost consciousness before real help arrived?

Soon an ambulance arrived, Kenneth was loaded in and he was on his way to the hospital.

When all others had left the scene, I took a moment to look around. I saw how Kenneth had taken a right-handed curve too wide. He crossed the oncoming lane and hit the sand. The bike dug in and he went over top.

Others had picked his bike upright and it looked pretty good to me, all things considered. A wrecker was on its way to pick it up.

The sun was setting as I left the accident scene. Off to my right I saw an incredible cloud formation, a huge column of clouds illuminated like crazy by the sun’s low rays. My thoughts were jumbled but the cloud formation provided an odd reality that helped me focus on what was happening in the moment rather than imagining different accident scenarios.

Night set in as I continued out of the mountains. Deer were out and free-range cattle were on the road, as were other motorists who wanted to travel more quickly than a shaken-up animal-shy motorcyclist. At one point a very large haul truck was following closely when I saw two cows directly in front of me. There was plenty of time to stop, but the circumstances of the evening were piling up to create a very unattractive package. I laughed nervously as the cows zig-zaged in front of me, trying to decide if they should exit the road to the right (over a guard rail, then down a steep decline) or to the left (up a similarly steep incline). Each cow chose a different path. The right-moving cow tried to jump the guard rail but didn’t do so well. It took several efforts to get her hind legs over. Then there was then much crashing as she scurried down the hill. The left-moving cow scrambled upward, dislodging a few rocks that fell and scattered across the road. Meanwhile, the haul truck (with only one working headlight) waited impatiently while I stayed put, sort of shaking, sort of laughing, definitely wide-eyed and jaw-dropped.

Then came the lightning. Not over me, but away in the distance, at the foot of the mountains in the area of the town where I had planned to spend the night. The weather function on my satellite radio-enabled GPS flashed a weather warning. “Yes, I know. And cows too.”

At the base of the mountains I came across a hotel. It was seedy, dark and neglected. I was glad to be there. (Actually, I spoke to the owner and asked if his “Western” hotel was affiliated with the “Best Western” chain – apparently it used to be but he lost the franchise. So now it’s still Western but far from Best).

This morning I drove to the Sheridan Wyoming hospital. Kenneth was there and I was allowed to visit him in the ICU.

In his early 70’s, Kenneth had ridden his new Honda Goldwing from Washington State to attend a rally in Billings Montana. He’s owned other goldwings in the past but this larger model was new to him. He reported that it handles differently in the turns. Kenneth is educated in molecular biology and –as a professor – has taught others the same. I was amazed with how articulate he was, considering his experience. I didn’t bother to tell Kenneth about the cloud, the cows, the truck and the lightning – I figured that he had a few issues of his own to contend with.

As a trained-but-not-practiced EMT, I realize that there are significant gaps in my skills. As a motorcyclist, I am reminded of the risks we assume. But as a human being, I’m glad that I did what I could to help. And most importantly, with a few broken bones and two damaged discs, I’m glad that Kenneth will be fine.