YoTRacer158

Member
Jan 10, 2001
314
0
Last night at my race I had just moved into 3rd place on the last lap and I was about to make a pass for second…then my front end dropped between two whoops and over the bars I went. The bike slammed me pretty good and I ended up with a broken collarbone. I had to sit in the ambulance with the so-called “paramedics”. I don’t know what other people have experienced with these rent-a-cops of the medical field, but the people looking after me were idiots. First they took my heart rate, which was only about 160, and were amazed and confused that it was so high…I reminded them I had been racing my dirt bike for the last 15 minutes and got the classic “oh yeah…” response. Then they not only refused to give me any advil or Tylenol, but they wouldnt even allow me to walk to my truck to get some out of my gear bag. Then in the midst of putting a makeshift splint on, one asks the other for a smoke. Then the female paremedic looks at my collarbone, which by now the swelling has gone down enough to where you can see exactly were the bone snapped and how its ¼” higher than the rest of the bone (which has been pushed underneath), and she proclaims “its probably nothing, just a bad bruise or a minor fracture” yeah right… ive never had any medical experience in my life except watching stitches be put in and casts wrapped around my arms and even I could tell it was snapped clear in half. After sitting in the ambulance without pain relievers on the track for 45 mins, the real paramedics finally got there and took me to the hospital. I asked if they had any advil and he replies “no, but I can give you some morphine” sweeeeetttt:confused:. That did the trick for a while but when I got to the hospital they gave me some other shot in my ass that really knocked me out. Anyways, I was just wondering who else out there has had these types of experience with on track paramedics, and also who else has had this injury. How long will it take to heal? Does it bother you when you ride? Is it any weaker than it was before you broke it? thanks
 

Big Boy 250

Uhhh...
Dec 27, 2000
9
0
I broke my collar bone once. It tooks me like 3 months it think to heal, and it is acualy stronger then it used to be because when it heals it heals in a ball so there is more bone there then before leaving a bump, and it dosn't bother me when I ride.
 

Pit_Monkey

Member
May 19, 2001
253
0
i went to a race at southwick last yr and saw a guy go down really bad. the "paramedics" rushed out and put him on a stretcher and put him in an ambulance. they then all exited the ambulance and stood there and watched a couple of races b4 rushing out of the parking lot with the sirens blairing. i couldnt believe my eyes that the paramedics acutally stood there for about 2 hrs before leaving like there was a dieing man inside the ambulance!:silly:
 

KXTodd

~SPONSOR~
Nov 25, 2000
463
0
Just because they're there doesn't mean they are paramedics. Most likely just volunteer Firefighters with a minimum of experience and training. they probably only have a basic first aid certification which means they are not allowed to give any meds at all, that would include yours.
 

vetwfo'er

Member
Dec 18, 2000
124
0
They certainly didn't sound like the best EMT's in the world but, taking vitals is important to assess the condition of the patient (shock, internal bleeding etc, etc). Oral meds, food or water is also not given in case you have to have surgery to correct the break and as far as not letting you walk. You may have felt fine and then, when you tried to walk, you could have gotten light headed fallen and then you might have compounded your collar bone. Sounds like her assesment of a minor fracture (bone broken in half) was spot on.

Keep in mind that some tracks do not pay or pay well to have "the best" emergency medical help available. Just because they were possibly not the best, be thankful you had someone to care for you at all.

Sounds like the worst call of the night, was giving someone mophine who felt he could walk and was obviously alert enough to think he could do a better job.

vetwfo'er
 

HiG4s

~SPONSOR~
Mar 7, 2001
1,311
0
That's scary, around here there has to be at least one REAL paramedic in the ambulance at any kind of race.
 

Byrd Man

Member
Aug 24, 2000
85
0
They certainly didn't sound like the best EMT's in the world but, taking vitals is important to assess the condition of the patient (shock, internal bleeding etc, etc). Oral meds, food or water is also not given in case you have to have surgery to correct the break and as far as not letting you walk. You may have felt fine and then, when you tried to walk, you could have gotten light headed fallen and then you might have compounded your collar bone. Sounds like her assesment of a minor fracture (bone broken in half) was spot on.

Keep in mind that some tracks do not pay or pay well to have "the best" emergency medical help available. Just because they were possibly not the best, be thankful you had someone to care for you at all.

Sounds like the worst call of the night, was giving someone mophine who felt he could walk and was obviously alert enough to think he could do a better job.
Ditto. Ditto Ditto The only thing I don't like is the paramedic asking for a smoke. That wasn't very professional
 

YoTRacer158

Member
Jan 10, 2001
314
0
in response to what vetwfo'er said...the place on the track where i crashed was probably 1/4 mile from the ambulance. i sat on the ground against the side of a jump until the paramedic got there, and then he didnt give me any assistance walking back to the ambulance...i had to support my own arm on my way back -- he didnt offer to help or anything, just kinda hurried me along. and by "minor fracture" she thought it had a slight crack at the most...i dont think a bone sheared in half is considered a minor fracture. as far as the morphine is concerned, i probably could ahve done it but with the dirt roads and hospitals on the way back to the hospital, it certainly made the trip back more tolerable
 

Hondaxrguy

Member
May 17, 2001
573
0
At the local MX track, they hire local firefighters to work as paramedics. My brother happens to be a firefighter in that district. He is also a certified EMT. he told me that they have a hard time finding people because they only pay $7-$8 per hr. And with the number of crashes that happen, they are constantly running all over the track. With the pathetic pay they offer, it makes me think that they don't really care about rider safety. They should at least pay to have an ambulance there. Currently, they use a Jeep........

Jeremy
 
Mar 29, 2001
84
0
"Not Paramedics"

Typically any ambulances that are hired for special event standbys are just basic level ambulances from a private E.M.S. Co. They just have basic E.M.T.s which are not paramedics, and they're usually right out of school with no experience. Any Joe blow can be a basic E.M.T. with only a couple months training whereas Paramedics are trained in 1-2 years. The capabilities are much different. Basic ambulances can only do basic splinting, bandaging and C.P.R. They cannot give meds or anything. Next time look in the rig, there's nearly nothing in it. Paramedic trucks are the one's equipped with the heart monitor/ defibrillator, drugs, and other E.R. like stuff. Experience is big factor in the quality of care you receive by an Ambulance crew. Typically it takes a good 4-5 years before they're really proficient but because of the shoddy pay and working conditions turnover is very high, at least in private E.M.S. Full time F.D. based E.M.S. is a different story though. They're well paid, well equipped and remain on the job as a career so they get the experience.
 
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XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers
Damn Yankees
Aug 2, 2000
13,510
19
Like it was said before, you were probably dealing with a couple EMTs (guys who know some higher level first aid) and not paramedics (almost a doctor).

Luckily, I've never had the need. At one of our local tracks, the owners daughter does most of the first response stuff, and she makes the ambulance calls. She's pretty good at it.

For me, I'm glad I'm married to a Certified Athletic Trainer. She does a pretty good job of diagnosing whatever I've tweaked, and she knows when it's time to go see the doctor!
 

Blue Thunder

~SPONSOR~
Dec 20, 2000
301
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Easy now Rumpel...I ride and had thought of a career in Firefighter/EMS,so I took the EMT-B class, the class was 5months and very educational, granted an EMT is not near the level of a Paramedic, but any training in the field is better than a buddy scraping your beat up carcass from the course! Medics are pretty much the same maybe higher level than RN's, that's a lot of training, they can use IV's and pain medicines and such. Any race you go to and there is an ambulance on site seems to relax riders more, much better than knowing if you get hurt it could be a long while before medical attention arrives. EMS is not glamorous or high paying so all please be thankful for any assistance they provide..YOT guy, hope you heal up quick so you can get back out there.
 
Mar 29, 2001
84
0
Very true. Anything trackside is better than nothing at all. Most often the best care for someone in need is just to get to the hospital, and quick. That any ambulance is able to do well whether or not it's a Basic or Medic truck. Also like you said, sometimes just knowing there's somebody there is what counts. Just know that there's different levels of E.M.S. service with different capabilities. The skills learned as a Basic are the most important for all E.M.S. personal for one cannot be a good medic without being first a good basic. A medic without good basic skills, "and they're out there", is scary. You'd be better off dragging your own broken body to the ER rather than entrusting yourself to one of those.
 
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Gunther

Member
Jul 8, 2003
37
0
Maybe I can grant a bit of insight, of course maybe not. I have been a Paramedic for the last 15 years or so and was an EMT for 5 years before that.
Why they let you walk and support your own arm with a clav frac? Upper extremities are kinda tough to splint because they require you move them ever so slightly, with your injury a sling and swathe with padding between your arm and body is really the only way. You'd have to hold still. As you are walking believe me YOU know where it feels best, you will self splint and you will get upset with a medic that tries to position your arm for you. After you're sitting and with your help and/or his partner the medic can make you more comfortable.
Pain meds.
Advil and the like are not approved for medics usually where Morphine is. Might sound strange but I can reverse Mo' fine a whole lot better than Ibuprofen. Here a difference in Medical Control can make a difference if you get pain meds. A lot of docs don't think clavs warrant analgesia.

Not transporting.

The only thing I can figure is they had orders not to and to wait for another rig.
 

XRpredator

AssClown SuperPowers
Damn Yankees
Aug 2, 2000
13,510
19
Chili said:
Wow a 4+ year old thread resurrection!
and in those last 4 years, my wife has become an EMT, and will soon be an advanced.

I still don't get any sympathy for the ouches I come home with after riding/racing.
 

Masterphil

DRN's Resident Lunatic
Member
Aug 3, 2004
1,003
0
A couple of years ago, I was at a local race where some rider went down hard. The EMT/Paramedics (not sure what they were) rushed over, took him to the ambulance and took off to the hospital. The races were delayed for about an hour until another ambulance got to the track.
 

ScottYZ250

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 24, 1999
375
0
In my experience, you'll be riding again in about two months. As for the strength of the bone, the people telling you it will now be stronger are correct. The overlapping bones will heal together and the bone will now be twice as thick as it was (the ball effect).
 

2stroke

Member
Nov 7, 2001
399
2
I cant help but think of pee wees big adventure where he was having a nightmare and these demented clowns showed up in an ambulance and picked his bike up and let him there.....

I did have a recent experience with some EMTs when my 13 year old broke his leg. He decided to come down a skateboard ramp at his friends house (He'd never skated before) and he wound up face down with his leg at a SICK angle behind him.

I mean it turned my stomach when I got there, and 3 minutes later when the EMTs showed up, they flopped him over pretty harshly ( I wasnt gonna budge him...figured Id leave that to the pros) and he just let out an inhuman scream. He had been very calm up until that point so I guess they figured he wasnt hurt much. "Yeah, he probably sprained his ankle...we'll take him ot the hospital just in case." He told me.

It turned out that he broke both bones right above the ankle....VERY nasty injury.

Anyway, I know EMTs dont have xray vision so Im not ragging on them or anything but it sort of relates to the start of this thread where you just see something that slaps you in the face like "oh SH*T thats bad" and the EMTS are like, yeah, well that might hurt tommorrow....
:laugh:
 
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