Learned a valuable survival lesson today

[R.A.T.]

Left the farm headed home about an hour ago. My old toyota truck was recently put in the shop so I'm driving a different truck. The only thing I swapped over from the old truck to the new is my standard Maxpedition go bag. I left all tools, pry bars, etc. in the old truck. As soon as I got on the Gallant road I came upon a one vehicle accident. Car had centered a telephone pole, both air bags deployed, driver screaming in the front seat, hurt and unable to get out. Another car pulled up abut the same time I did. We tried to open the front doors. Wouldn't budge. Could not pull them open. Needed a pry bar. Driver was all the way on the opposite side and I told him that I was going to break the driver side glass. Window was down about 2 inches. Tried to use a standard RC-3 (not RC-3MIL) to break the glass. WOULD NOT WORK. Glass just flexed no matter how hard we hit it. Finally took a large baseball bat size stick and broke the window. Driver was begging us to get him out but I refused since he said his back was hurt really bad. He was literally screaming in pain at me to get him out now. I told him unless the car caught on fire, or he was bleeding to death, we weren't going anywhere until a backboard and medics got on scene. I did use my folder to cut his pants legs up to check for broken legs. All was well there even though the dash was in the guy's lap. Local Fire department arrived with backboard and we finally got the guy out and moved him to the center of the road until the ambulance arrived. I had a blanket in the truck and put it on him since he was getting really cold from us cutting his clothes, and the temps are falling here today. Ambulance arrived and picked him up and took him to a local church that we use for an LZ for the Life Flight helicopter. It was on its way when I left the scene. Medics said appeared his back was broken.

Lessons learned:

1) Always move ALL your gear ANY TIME you switch vehicles. NO EXCEPTIONS! For those that laugh at you for having so much survival gear, let them laugh. My friends who ride in my vehicle laugh at me all the time

2) If you only carry a RAT knife in your vehicle, make sure it's an RC-3MIL with a sharpened pommel, not the standard RC-3. (During testing of the standard RC-3 we were breaking side glass easily but the window was rolled all the way up. We made a DUMB ASS mistake in our testing! I assumed it would work since testing proved it worked on rolled up side glass. Don't assume shit. Test everything, every way you can imagine! On the bright side, we don't advertise the standard RC-3 as a glass breaker.)

3) Never think that since you are close to home, you may not need your tools immediately. I was 1/4 mile from my house but it might as well been 100 miles when you have a guy screaming in pain in the car and you can't leave the scene. I could have used my pry bar and a few other tools (in the other truck) to get to the guy while waiting on Emergency Services Personnel.

Like I said, stupid mistake on my part not to have all my tools in the other vehicle. WILL NOT happen again. I had a fire extinguisher, first aid kit, BOB and blankets but NO TOOLS.

 

[j williams]

Wow....thats a crazy situation.... I worked a rollover wreck this morning.

Always a good idea to switch gear when you swithc vehicles...Thats why its nice to keep your gear together instead of spread out all over the place.

A trick for ya jeff, if you take the cars antenna off or just bend it around, (provided it reaches) and flick the window in the bottom corner, it will shatter a window no problamo. Done it hundreds of times.

You did a great thing denyin the guy help getting out. Good samaritan laws protect you from being sued had you helped, but you couldve paralyzed the guy and had to live with that..(as im sure you know)...

To everyone- Render aid to stop life threats, and monitor ABCs, and try and hold C-spine if your gonna do anything before we arrive. Dont do anything you dont know how to, and only remove someone from a vehicle if its a life/death situation. IE upside down in creeks(worked alot of those!), or fire, or electricution etc.... Always(especially when power lines are down) be aware of your own safety. Dont create more work for us. Ive had to take many bystanders to the hospital for not paying attention to whats going on around them. Its easy to get tunnell vision in these situations. Very easy. Its happened to me a few times and I almost got plowed by cars whose drivers werent paying attention either.

Be safe out there guys.

 

[R.A.T.]

I'm no emergency services guy, so I have a lot of respect for those of you who do this every day. My main reason for posting this up is to say I made a stupid mistake assuming I would not need tools, and also assuming the standard RC-3 would break glass in any situation. With all that said, let me once again extend my thanks to all you guys that are only moments away when bad things happen. Don't know what we would do with yall! Meantime the rest of us need to make sure our vehicles are always equipped.

 

[j williams]

Hey man, I appriciate that. To use to being called a MF, and shown no respect. Its nice to know some people care...

 

[penenpitsu]

Good story, and lesson learned. Guess the boy scout motto holds true, every time.

 

[hwpaintballer]

Good to see you did the right thing and stopped :thumbup:, when it comes to tools and vehicles I feel I'm covered. I only have one vehicle a Chevy S10 pick up with a tool box containing not only tools but my BOB bag.

 

[IUKE12]

Lessons learned and isn't it always the way, leave the tools behind just that one time and that's the time you're gonna need em for sure.

 

[gottahaveit27]

As you were telling the story I was thinking to myself "don't pull the guy out." Of course you knew better. It must make it difficult to do the right thing in a situation like that where a guy is screaming in pain and pleading with you to do something that you know could make things worse for him. As for having the right tools, it's funny I was thinking recently that when I get my RAT pack knife my RC-3 mil will be transferred to my car, exactly for the fact that it has the glass breaker (and the 3 is a knife that I always want to have along with me).

 

[1066vik]

Good on both of you -- one for stopping to do the right thing today, the other for doing it every day! I spent some time working with EMS folks and it's a pretty thankless job.
I'm also definitely filing away the tidbit about hitting the window at the back bottom corner to break, even when open part way - makes good sense, I just never thought about it.
thanks!

 

[Longknife3]

lessons learned and isn't it always the way, leave the tools behind just that one time and that's the time you're gonna need em for sure.

amem to that!!

And... Way to go Jeff, you done good, no matter how you slice it.

 

[De4thStr1ke]

Hey man, I appriciate that. To use to being called a MF, and shown no respect. Its nice to know some people care...

I have several friends who are/were in your profession, and I have nothing but respect for yall. You have to make some tough choices, and you save lives, what isn't there to respect? Oh, and thanks for the glass breaking trick, I hadn't thought of that before. I normally have a glass breaker on my S&W M&P2 knife, but sometimes I carry a different blade so this might just come in handy one day.

As for the tools, I agree 100%. I had to put the Jeep in the repair shop this week, and I did the same thing, remembered my FAK and trauma kit, but left all my tools in there. Haven't needed anything major (thank God) but I did need some of the smaller stuff that I had forgotten to get out. After reading this I think I might just have to swing by the shop on the way to work and take some stuff out.

One thing I would like to add is that it's a good idea to get at least some basic training if you plan on trying to help someone in this situation. While I am not an EMT, and don't pretend to know 1/3 of what they do, I do have some training that I've picked up that I feel would make me more useful in this type of situation. But never, never, NEVER try to do something that your not trained to do, just like JWilliams said. Most of the time you'll do more harm than good. Render aid at your skill level, and try to keep the victim stable until the real professionals come. And then get the hell outta the way! They get paid to do this sort of thing, they don't need an armchair surgeon telling them what to do or getting in the middle of everything.

 

[hoopster]

Do you think the RC-3 would have broken the glass if you applied pressure using the tip?

 

[R.A.T.]

The only reason I broke into the vehicle is I could not assess whether they guy was bleeding to death, had fractures or what was going on trying to look through all the debris and screwed up stuff. I knew we had to get that door open but also knew we couldn't move him if his life wasn't in immediate danger.

 

[Agent Iron]

That is a great story Jeff! Again your brutal honesty...no doubt a reason why you are so well trusted and respected. Great info to consider for us being prepared as well, thanks for taking the time to post those tidbits, and again for being so honest.

 

[R.A.T.]

That is a great story Jeff! Again your brutal honesty...no doubt a reason why you are so well trusted and respected. Great info to consider for us being prepared as well, thanks for taking the time to post those tidbits, and again for being so honest.

We are much more concerned about someone's survival and well-being than we are some bullshit knife sales. The bottom line is the RC-3 (standard model) is a piss-poor glass breaker. It worked good in initial testing but failed miserably when really needed due to something as simple as the window being down a few inches. Buy a real glass breaker and keep in your car. And I'm not even talking about an RC-3MIL.

 

[Tripton]

Hope the guy is ok.

I have tried to break a car side window with a RC-3 with modified pommel...and no, it certainly doesnt work. I was surprised. I was hitting it really hard.

After that, (out of sheer curiousity/stupidity) I solidly smacked a window with the tip of my Izula, assuming that basic principal of the glass breaker would translate to a sturdy knife tip. Nope. Just flattened the tip and made me feel like a total dipshit.

Of course I fixed the tip and it is fine, AND had it broken, I would not have abused the warranty. However, now I know that it wont work.



Oh, and the reason we got on this kick was because we were trying out my cousin's RC-5 on the side windows of an old junk car. That thing works amazingly well. Almost like it is designed to do it or something.

 

[R.A.T.]

All it takes is a real sharp point and the glass goes like butter. I was actually headed for my tire iron in the truck when we found the bat and took the window out.

 

[DarinReiss1]

Great post Jeff! I see I need to add a few items to my Toyota Tacoma!

Darin

 

[R.A.T.]

The Toyota Tacoma of mine is the one in the shop. Suppose to have that old truck back on the road in the next few days though. I love that POS!

 

[rmc85]

Hey man, I appriciate that. To use to being called a MF, and shown no respect. Its nice to know some people care...

You guys are awesome! I flipped my truck 5 times after a guy pulled out in front of me a few years back. I wasnt hurt but I was DAMN happy the police and EMS got there as fast as they did.

I was super lucky I didnt get hurt at all. One of the EMT's didnt believe me when I said I was in the truck that looked like a crushed coke can.

Funny sidebar: Some lady said "I'm from out of town whats the number for 911 here" right when I wiggled out of my truck.