Kauvery Kathaigal : 5
The Blind Spot: A Family’s calamitous night -drive on a highway
The occasion : A family of five on a late-night drive on the national highway meet with an accident
Condition:
Driver (Relative): Uninjured (protected by airbag).
Daughter: Dislocation of the elbow.
Mother: Fracture of the clavicle.
Father: Fracture of the ankle.
Son: Fracture of the Left lower leg, complicated by acute Fat Embolism , respiratory distress, transient hypoxia, hypotension, and stress cardiomyopathy.
The family’s story
The five of them were on a family drive. Driving at night, the one among them who drove that night was blinded by the full and high beam of a large vehicle coming opposite. He lost control, the car veered off the road, hit some structures and fell into a deep ditch. An airbag saved him but four of the family were injured.
We walked in and found them all in the same room!
Each one had a major injury- dislocation elbow, fracture clavicle, fracture ankle and fracture lower leg. None of the passengers remembered using the seat belt. The boy with the fractured leg was the most injured. He had a suspected fat embolism, a major complication of fractures of long bones, and was potentially life threatening. The fat from the bone marrow can enter the great veins, reach the Rt side of the heart and travel upstream to the pulmonary artery and fatally block the blood flow to the lungs, and onwards to the hear. This embolism does not respond to clot busters. He developed respiratory distress, transient hypoxia, hypotension and stress cardiomyopathy.
Discussion
Today India leads the world today in catastrophic RTAs and multi-organ trauma that disrupt and destroy lives, careers and families. Meanwhile our driving habits are getting worse-more impatient and inconsiderate, irresponsible and dangerous, mostly from the distraction from smart phones. We are no more safe on our roads.Law and order cannot change that. The change we wish to see must come from us
Conclusion
But they were all on the road to recovery, grateful for their good luck and very appreciative of the quality of care they received.
Individuals, families, the community, society, states and the country must put "safety" first, on the roads, and in life and work
