First aid for car crush victims
First aiders raced into action to provide emergency
treatment to members of the public who were injured in an
incident during a Family Fun Day at Goodwood Racecourse over the
bank holiday.
Volunteers were called to the accident which took place in one
of the car parks situated inside the course just after midday,
where they found a jeep which had rolled down a bank
hitting pedestrians and a number of parked cars along the
way.
The driver of the jeep was unhurt however some of the
pedestrians suffered crush injuries and required urgent
attention from the St John team who were quick to respond
to their needs.
...it’s reassuring to know that when plunged into such a situation, our volunteers are able to call upon their skills and training to help save lives
Dan May
St John Ambulance Assistant Commissioner Operations, Sussex
Three members of the public were transferred to St Richards
Hospital from the scene by South East Coast Ambulance Service while
the St John volunteers remained on site at the racecourse to
maintain a first aid presence, meaning that the days racing could
go ahead as planned with only a 30 minute delay.
Assistant Commissioner Operations for St John Sussex Dan May
said: ‘The team of volunteers, mainly from our Chichester Division
who were at Goodwood on the day of the incident did a wonderful job
of caring for the injured people and worked extremely well
alongside the professional paramedics who eventually took the
casualties to hospital.
Incidents as serious as this one are thankfully quite rare, but
it’s reassuring to know that when plunged into such a situation,
our volunteers are able to call upon their skills and training
to help save lives.’