Friday night 30 October, while waiting for something to happen as I am on duty this weekend, I received a frantic phone call from a Randfontein Herald colleague, journalist Roxy de Villiers, with an urgent request.
It was around 9.53pm and she needed urgent assistance at a pedestrian accident scene she came across while travelling home along Albertina Sisulu (previously Main Reef) Road. It appears to have been a hit and run, she told me. She found a man with severe head injuries in a pool of blood on the roadway and ascertained that he is still breathing. Paramedics are yet to respond to the scene, she said, call someone urgently.
Rookie mistake: My complete contact book is locked up in the office and I only have a select few contact numbers saved on my cell phone. The first number that comes to mind happens to be 082 911, the Netcare 911 emergency line, and I phone them first.
After I give through the lacking details I have, I’m shocked receiving the following response.
“I’m sorry m’am, we cannot send anyone out unless injuries have been confirmed,” a male voice told me over the phone.
The more I tried to explain that I am not personally on scene and by no means a paramedic, the more he persisted there’s nothing they can do. I drop the receiver and dial 10117, the Joburg EMS hotline. After rehashing the same lacking details, a female voice confirmed that they’re “already aware of the accident at Afrisam” and have sent units out.
I sighed with relief that help is coming but decided to also avail myself to the scene. I travelled along Albertina Sisulu Road until I found Roxy’s vehicle, its hazard lights flashing, the only barrier between her, the injured man and any traffic. Jumping out, she yelled for a jacket of some kind and told me to check her vehicle’s boot. I looked around and nobody has arrived yet, and I panic. Yes, the office provided us with basic CPR-training that one time but I am by no means a medical professional. We used the jacket to secure his head, Roxy held something called C-spine (she is yet to explain this to me, she learned it while out with paramedics) and two civilians, one in a reflective jacket, tried to direct traffic around us.
Still, no ambulance. I’m in a dead panic. I phoned two of my private contacts, both who work for Netcare 911; the woman said she is not working that shift and the man confirmed he’s at a scene in Krugersdorp. I tried ER 24 and nothing. There are lights in the far distance, up the road, and it looks to be another accident scene. So that’s where our help went, I told Roxy. Joburg EMS is probably busy up there.
The two civilians helped us straighten out the man’s legs and he woke up, obviously disoriented and wanting to get up. It took all our might to keep him still, which is all we knew to do. Finally a Joburg EMS stopped on the side of the road, but no-one got out. I proceeded to get angry as we’ve been trying to flag someone down for what seemed like hours at the time. I speak to them and they say they were at the other scene and already have a patient in the ambulance, but the woman sees my panicked state and decides to help out. Using my phone, she asked more paramedics to come to scene. She and her colleague take over from us and with Roxy on the roadway helping them, I try and help out with traffic.
Next minute a JMPD vehicle responds to scene, parking on the other side of the scene. The woman gets out but the man refuses to help us. After screaming and shouting at him to direct traffic, he responds with a simple “I have to secure the scene first”. I didn’t understand what was left to secure and took down his details, meaning to report him at a later stage. After being probed by his female counterpart, he started assisting her with directing the scene. A second ambulance arrived and our patient was transported to Leratong Hospital. I took down the details of the paramedic that assisted us and thanked her. The traffic cop tries to apologise to us, but I decide to still report him.
So much could have gone wrong on Friday night, besides that which had already gone awry. Paramedics could have never seen us or responded to scene. As nobody was aware that we were trying to save a man, many vehicles could have crashed into Roxy’s, or into us on the roadway.
Obviously, with all this going on, the accident further up was the least of my problems — I didn’t even think to go take a photograph. Now, everybody wants to know about the big accident but nobody knows of the guy that might have lost his life that night. Truth is, we don’t know whether he made it yet.
I hope everyone involved in both accidents are alright this Monday afternoon, and recovering. Kudos to my colleague that did all she can to save an unknown man.
I seek clarity both from Netcare 911 and ER 24 about their (lacking) response to my calls, both on Friday and today, and from JMPD regarding their incompetent male officer. I applaud the medic that assisted us, I believe her name is Elizabeth Ntladi, and her partner (sorry, I didn’t catch your name).
If you know anything about what happened at either scenes, feel free to contact me on mathildem@caxton.co.za
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