You never know when its your time...

saprkzz

I was driving through Bicester (oxfordshire) on Tuesday night, and came across a couple of cars stopped in the road and a cyclist on the floor laying very still.. this morning driving past and there is flowers strapped to the railings. Just read online that the cyclist died from his injuries after a collision with a Ford Escort, So so sad.

I am just sat here thinking, you really never know when your time is up... every day you wake up drive / cycle or just walk to work... it could be your time.

Have no idea how the accident happened, the bike had lights on, but it was just off a roundabout, a busy one at that

diy

Did anyone give first aid?

I have heard cases of how people have stroked an unconscious persons head, telling them the ambulance is on the way - when actually the person is dying. If I was driving past an apparent dead person who was not being cared for and no emergency services were on scene, I would park up, check its safe and go and administer 1st aid.

Even if you are 80% sure they are dead its worth doing. Obviously there are some injuries which are unsurvivable, but never, ever assume its to late to give 1st aid. Second you have to assume everyone is in shock and not functioning correctly.

I only hope that this chap got any help that could help.

Bozman

A bike, a car, walking, talking, sleeping, when your times up it's up there's no point in worrying about it.

Critch

"You never know when its your time..." is not quite right. Lots of people lose loved ones who know they are about to die through unsurvivable illness or injury such as in the case of a family saying goodbye to a loved one as they knowingly take their last breath. It is just like in the movies, trust me.

My question is why didn't the OP stop? A fellow cyclist too, but not that this matters. OP may have had more savvy than the people who were already stopped. The people already there may have been in shock and unable to act. The scene was not overrun with people and there were no emergency services present. OP might have been able to do something. The cyclist may have been choking on their tongue. Even if you are not first aid trained sometimes stopping and doing one small thing like checking an airway can mean the difference between life and death.

It probably was the case the poor cyclist was fatally injured and not going to survive the accident, but you fight till the bitter end. This is not a scene as described by the OP where emergency services had arrived and a crowd/onlookers had gathered making the scene dangerous/unnecessary to stop. The accident could have just happened or could have been 5 minutes, 10 minutes old and the poor chap had already left this world but you don't know and should never assume. I get that not everyone should stop as the scene would be chaos but there were like a couple of cars there as described by the OP. I can only responds to what he's written. Creating a philosophical post on bike forums the next day when that person just 'drove on by' doesn't really sit right with me, but I accept everyone is different and intend no malice, just felt the need to respond.

Roll on the better weather....

Bozman

There's no need to have a dig at the OP because he didn't stop. If I saw an accident i'd stop but if i came across an accident with other people present i'd carry on, if you happen to have a certain set of skills that could be of use then stop but other wise you're going to look like a morbid on-looker.

saprkzz

Sorry, let me explain so I dont look like the bad guy here....

"The Scene"
I was on a short section of dual carriageway, on the opposite direction, 2 cars were stopped in the fast lane with hazards lights on in my lane, on the opposite side where the guy was laying, there was at least 2 other cars behind the accident, a lorry and an interlink van.

4 people were attending the cyclist and one women on the mobile phone, they had wrapped a large yellow blanket around the casualty and a runner (was in shorts and high vis jacket) was bent down with him. An ambulance was approaching about a mile away, I could see the blue lights. I stop at accidents when I come across them and had to 4 times last year. I have served 6 years as a Firefighter and know when my help would be required and when it is not. Its all about risk assessment.

Thats why I didnt stop.

RubbishCyclist

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

lotus49

RubbishCyclist wrote:

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

There was an interesting item on Radio 4 a couple of days ago about teaching first aid in school. The national curriculum is already full enough but teaching everyone (not just adults) first aid strikes me as a thoroughly good idea. It probably won't be much use to most people but sometimes people stand by helpless watching a friend or stranger die because they simply don't know what to do.

I believe that the vast majority of people would help if they knew how to; there is no need to bring the law into it. In a situation like that mentioned by the OP, I would always help if I thought there were anything useful I could do but sadly, I'm not sure that I would have been any use.

noste500

RubbishCyclist wrote:

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

^^^^^ this!

OldAP

saprkzz wrote:

Sorry, let me explain so I dont look like the bad guy here....

"The Scene"
I was on a short section of dual carriageway, on the opposite direction, 2 cars were stopped in the fast lane with hazards lights on in my lane, on the opposite side where the guy was laying, there was at least 2 other cars behind the accident, a lorry and an interlink van.

4 people were attending the cyclist and one women on the mobile phone, they had wrapped a large yellow blanket around the casualty and a runner (was in shorts and high vis jacket) was bent down with him. An ambulance was approaching about a mile away, I could see the blue lights. I stop at accidents when I come across them and had to 4 times last year. I have served 6 years as a Firefighter and know when my help would be required and when it is not. Its all about risk assessment.

Thats why I didnt stop.

Well said mate!

As with most forums there are always a few tools who are quick to come on making judgments without being armed with the full facts :roll:

RubbishCyclist

lotus49 wrote:

RubbishCyclist wrote:

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

There was an interesting item on Radio 4 a couple of days ago about teaching first aid in school. The national curriculum is already full enough but teaching everyone (not just adults) first aid strikes me as a thoroughly good idea. It probably won't be much use to most people but sometimes people stand by helpless watching a friend or stranger die because they simply don't know what to do.

I believe that the vast majority of people would help if they knew how to; there is no need to bring the law into it. In a situation like that mentioned by the OP, I would always help if I thought there were anything useful I could do but sadly, I'm not sure that I would have been any use.

Basic first aid is so simple and doing something is better than nothing. Im a police officer and have been to numerous jobs where im sure people could have been saved if on lookers knew the basics. Hundreds of lives could be saved every year. While i agree that people will try and help, if they are not trained they can't do anything to help other than make the person comfortable whereas if people had a little basic training they could do more upto and including saving the guys life..

By coincidence i just did a first aid refresher where i was taught how to use defib machines. We were told that in the US kids as young as 8 are being taught how to use them! Amazing....

Frank the tank

No, none of us know when our time will come or how, and it's just as well we don't.

A colleague at work was telling me only last week a friend of his has cancer and it needs to be operated on thing is due to medical complications his chance of surviving the operation is 40%. That is truely sh1t.

paulg99

RubbishCyclist wrote:

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

Brilliant idea. Lets make criminals of innocent bystanders in shock at witnessing an accident.

Thankfully that's why the police are only supposed to uphold the law and not make them.

fearby

This thread is reading like a Daily Mail article intended to whip up hysteria and indignation in equal measure. Too much newspaper tripe force fed to us over too many years. I agree with the original post and we should all pause to think how to make every day a special one in case it is the last.

Captainlip

this cyclist didnt know it was his time thank god....

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=d9a_1354846337

Joeblack

PaulG99 wrote:

RubbishCyclist wrote:

First aid should be mandatory for all adults in this country and it should be an offence not to offer first aid to an injured person

Brilliant idea. Lets make criminals of innocent bystanders in shock at witnessing an accident.

Thankfully that's why the police are only supposed to uphold the law and not make them.

Agreed ^ iv know soldiers with medical training freeze up when confronted with shocking injuries, knowing first aid and being able to administer it under the pressure of having someone's life in your hands are two very different things.

It's very sad to hear that someone has died on a bike, nothing is 100% safe, but you only have one life and living it in fear would be a waste

diy

That is the thing about shock. I have come up on casualties where nobody has even called an ambulance. Mandating first aid is not the answer, but it should be freely available to those who want to learn. As others have said just the basics of keeping someones ticker going and organising the scene are probably all you really need. I have a couple of credit card sized queue sheets which I always keep on me - no idea where I got them, must have been some course or other.

CiB

That's a bit too close to home that is, being just round the corner from where I work. Nothing to add that's not trite or fake, but it's as bad as can be, family bloke killed near Christmas.