Tracey and Keith's story
Tracey Webb and her husband were faced with a horrific road accident just hours after finishing a Red Cross first aid course - and used their new skills to save and injured passenger's life.
Tracey and husband Keith, from Plymouth, were driving friends home to Tavistock late on 11 May when they came across two cars that had just been involved in a nasty collision.
Keith had only completed his first aid training on the previous day, and Tracey earlier that same day, but they didn't hesitate to act. Tracey recalled: "I went into first aid mode, as did Keith, and our friend Drew called 999. I ran to the cars first and checked the people. Both drivers were very shocked, but they were up and walking around. However, there was a front seat passenger trapped in one vehicle so I asked Drew to also call for a fire engine."
Calm response
"I shouted to Keith to help the drivers, then climbed into the back seat of the mangled car and sat holding the head of the trapped passenger, a 17-year-old lad. Both his legs were crushed under the dashboard, and there was little left of the car's engine. The interior of the car was was full of shattered glass and the driver's airbag had discharged. The passenger had clearly struck the windscreen with his head, and was covered in glass and tiny cuts."
Tracey added: "He was screaming in pain, so I kept talking to and reassuring him to calm him down. Following my first aid training, I checked for outward signs fo injury and asked some of the casualty's medical history to pass on to the paramedics.
"An ambulance came first, and the paramedics told the injured passenger that I was doing exactly the right thing, that a fire crew were was on its way, and thatthey would get him free very quickly. I sat holding his head upright and still for another 20 minutes and finally handed over to a paramedic just before the fire crew cut off the roof of the car."
Life-saving treatment
Throughout the whole terrifying ordeal, the couple both stayed calm and focussed on what they had learned during their first aid course. Tracey said: "Afterwards, the paramedic and the fire cheif both told me I had saved the lad's life, first by keeping the airway clear and then by keeping him conscious and preventing him from going into shock.
"If I had not takin my first aid training just the day before and known what to do, the situation could have been very different that night. We saved a life, and it was totally down to the brilliant Red Cross trainers and their course, which gave us the expertise and confidence to act quickly, safely and properly.
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