FOR the amount of death, blood and gore that he has been exposed to, you would expect to find a hardened man, but that’s far from what humble Lucky Sibisi (33) portrays.
After working as a paramedic for just over a decade, Lucky has been at the forefront of countless of horrifying accident scenes of which he dreadfully recalled the worst.
‘In 2014 there was an incident that took place at the traffic circle at Empangeni Rail.
‘We received a call and when I arrived on scene I found the lower extremity, of one of the victims lying on the road, his intestines were everywhere.’
Lucky explained that they were told two men were pushing their vehicle at night when another vehicle ploughed into them at extremely high speed.
‘It was difficult to deal with that. But at the end of the day it is my job,’ he said.
Lucky noted that his worst cases are the ones in which a patient is entrapped in a vehicle while it is on fire.
‘I have dealt with two cases where the car was on fire and we couldn’t get to the patient.
‘The second case was extremely difficult because we could tell the patient was alive although unconscious – we could see him breathing.’
Lucky said he has never had any nightmares, counselling or psychological problems because of his work as a paramedic; he did however admit that his job never gets any easier.
He proceeded to talk about a case in which they were alerted to a woman who was pregnant and giving birth.
When Lucky arrived on scene with his colleagues they immediately began helping the woman through labour and giving birth.
‘The baby was born dead.
‘There was a knot in the umbilical cord and so the child was not receiving the nutrients it should have been.
‘I had to explain that to the father of the child as well as other family members.’
Lucky’s stories range from close encounters to stupid mistakes.
Concealed behind his glasses, his eyes try to play down what he almost always cures with a smile.
‘I love my job; I love working with and helping people.
‘When I help them I feel good but when someone who I have helped recognises me and thanks me, I feel great.
‘I am not in this job for the recognition, but people don’t understand what we go through to ensure a life is saved.
‘I also love speed,’ he laughed.
Lucky has witnessed the harsh circumstances that people are forced to live with owing to the unconscious behaviour and erratic thinking of others.
And yet he still ventures into every day more positive and optimistic than the day before.
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