The middle-aged woman burst into tears. ‘We could have been killed.’
‘It’s OK,’ Maggie said. ‘You’re safe. My name’s Maggie and I’m a paramedic. Can you tell me if you have any pain anywhere?’
‘No.’ The woman was struggling to release her safety belt. ‘I want to get out.’
‘My neck hurts,’ the man said. ‘And I’m bleeding. I’ve cut my arm.’
‘Try and stay still,’ Maggie instructed. She couldn’t see any evidence of major ongoing blood loss and neither occupant was showing any signs of breathing difficulties. She looked at the car again. It was a three-door hatchback very similar to her own so it was going to be difficult for anyone to climb into the back and provide support for a potential cervical injury. The passenger door was jammed and the driver’s door was blocked by the rock wall it rested against. She looked past the car to the group of people approaching.
‘Does anybody have a crowbar or something similar?’ she called. ‘I need to try and get this door open.’
‘Let me try.’ A large man stepped forward. He reached for the door catch and pulled. Maggie saw him frown as he reassessed the situation. She picked up her mobile phone and made contact with the emergency services again.
‘We have two people trapped,’ she informed them. ‘One appears to be status 4, the other status 3 with a possible cervical injury. We need the fire service, a tow truck and an ambulance.’ She glanced at the growing number of onlookers. ‘We’re probably getting a bit of a traffic jam on the road as well.’
The man trying the door was now gripping the window-frame as the passenger held the catch open from the inside. He had his foot against the bottom of the car and with each pull the metal was giving a little. As Maggie finished her call the door was finally wrenched open enough to allow the woman to escape. She was still sobbing and Maggie gave her over to the care of the bystanders with instructions to keep her warm as she opened her first-aid kit and then climbed into the vehicle.
‘Is your car fitted with airbags?’
‘Just on my side. Why hasn’t it gone off?’
‘I don’t know.’ Maggie reminded herself to be careful until the fire service arrived with a cover for the steering-wheel. Getting between an injured occupant and a deploying airbag had killed more than one paramedic since their introduction.
‘Are you having any difficulty breathing at all?’
‘It hurts a bit when I take a deep breath.’
‘OK. I’m going to check your neck and put a collar around it and then I’ll listen to your breathing. What’s your name?’
‘James. Colin James.’
‘Have you got any medical problems I should know about, Colin? Do you suffer from any heart conditions? Asthma? High blood pressure?’
By the time the first assistance arrived, Maggie had completed a thorough assessment on both victims and was happy there were no serious injuries. Colin’s neck pain was probably due to mild whiplash. The collar was just a precaution until an X-ray examination could confirm her impression. As Maggie introduced herself and handed over the various components of scene control, she found herself becoming the centre of attention rather than her patients.
The ambulance arrived after the fire service and police and the crews of those vehicles were ready for the approach of the young, male ambulance officer.
‘Watch out, Jason,’ they warned jovially. ‘Your boss has beaten you to it. This is Maggie Johnston, the new station manager for Lakeview.’
‘You’re kidding!’ The officer’s face split into a wide grin. ‘Welcome to Central Otago, Maggie.’
‘Hell of an introduction.’ Maggie returned the grin. ‘I’m not supposed to start work till Monday.’ She was surprised but not at all put off by her future colleague’s short, dread-locked hair. He looked intelligent and had a very friendly smile. She held out her hand. ‘But thanks for the welcome.’
Her hand was shaken warmly. ‘I’m Jason Locke. I got your update from Control on the way so I knew there was someone here who knew what they were doing. Has the status changed for either patient?’
‘No. Mrs James was uninjured. Neither were KO’d and both have a GCS of 15. Colin has two out of ten neck pain, no associated neurology. He’s got some bruising from the seat belt but his chest is clear. Abdomen’s also clear. Blood pressure is 130 over 90. He’s got a minor laceration on his right forearm which I’ve dressed. That will probably need a few stitches. I’ve put a C-collar on and made a note of baseline vitals on both patients.’
‘Cool.’ Jason was nodding. Then he grinned again. ‘You wouldn’t like to complete the paperwork while you’re at it, would you?’
Maggie raised an eyebrow. ‘Are you single-crewed?’
‘That’s nothing unusual at the moment. We’ve got plenty of staff for the patient transfer side of the service and they’re qualified to fill gaps in the emergency roster, along with the volunteers, but we’ve been pushing them a bit hard for the last couple of months so it’s not just me that’s been looking forward to your arrival.’
‘What would you like me to do?’
‘I’ll grab a backboard,’ Jason said. ‘If you could help with the extrication and another assessment before I head off I’d be very grateful.’
Maggie also completed the two patient report forms and offered to travel with the ambulance if someone else could drive her car.
‘If it was a serious injury I’d take you up on that offer,’ Jason said. ‘But we’re fine, now. One of the fire guys, Andy, is a mate. He’ll drive me back. I’m sure you’ll want to get into town and get settled before it gets any later. Or colder. Call in at the station tomorrow and I’ll give you the grand tour.’
‘Thanks. I suppose I’d better try and find where I’m staying before it gets dark. The address sounds a bit isolated.’
‘Where are you heading?’
‘I need to look for a turn-off about six kilometres past the hospital. I take Spencer Road and then head off on an unnamed road across the paddocks looking for a house by the lake. I’m told I can’t miss it.’
‘Sounds like Doc Patterson’s place.’
‘It is. He’s an old friend.’
‘No kidding?’ Jason shook his head as he pulled the back doors of the ambulance closed. ‘Small world, isn’t it? Is that why you’ve come to work in this area?’
‘No.’ Maggie’s smile was almost rueful. ‘It’s just a lucky coincidence.’
It was a coincidence. Maggie had had no idea that Hugo Patterson had settled near Queenstown when she’d applied for the ambulance station manager’s position. And it was lucky in that it was solving a temporary accommodation hassle, but Maggie had doubts about the arrangement. Surely, if Hugo had been happy about it, he would have contacted her himself and not sent a message and directions via their respective mothers. The message had
