Tuesday 8th July 2014 – 7.45am – Chris Kowalik
A cyclist who hit a kerb and a bollard was found lying in the road by someone getting food from a takeaway.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Greyhound Way in Etruria shortly before 1.15am today.
A BASICS Emergency Doctor, a paramedic area support officer and an ambulance crew attended.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “The cyclist, a man in his thirties who wasn’t wearing a helmet, had a head injury, chest injujry, fractures to his spine and suspected fractures to a wrist and leg.
“He was fully immobilised and was taken on alert to the major trauma centre at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.”
Ends
Could the ambulance service not leave inflammatory comments about helmets? For all the ambulance service knows this man was struck by a vehicle, you would not chastise a stabbing victim for failing to wear a stab vest…
Thank you for your comment. I’m not sure how praising a man for wearing a helmet could be classed as inflamatory. We never comment about whose fault it is for the very reason you make. Sometimes it is undoubtedly the cyclists fault; on other occasions it is unquestionably not their fault. However, the reality is that it doesn’t matter when it comes to injury – they are still injured. What we are trying to do is reduce the level of injury. If you speak to the ambulance staff and doctors who attend these patients, they almost unanimously say that wearing a helmet reduces the chance of suffering a life changing head injury. As one trauma doctor put it – why would you not wear a cycle helmet? It is of course, up to the individual. Thanks again for your comment.