Indexing Title: OLEYSON’s Medical Anecdotal Report [04-4]

MAR Title: In a Blink of an Eye

Date of Medical Observation:  July 7, 2004

Narration:

 I’m on my way to the hospital when my father-in-law suggested that he drives me to the hospital by hitching in his motorcycle.  He told me to just wear  protective eyeglasses since he had no spare helmet for me to use.  I accepted his offer and for the first time experienced hitching on a motorcycle.

I reached the hospital in one piece and began my day when two women at their early 20’s arrived, stretcher-borne due to a motorcycle accident. With my initial survey, one of patient suffered traumatic amputation on her left leg and had a serious head injury. She was already unconscious and dyspneic. The patient was intubated, but the patient’s condition continued to deteriorate and the patient eventually expired. The other patient sustained  minor cuts on her forehead, and suffered temporary memory loss. She was fortunate to survive.

As I listened to the police investigator in-charge of the case, I was alarmed when I learned that the one who died was the passenger, she was not wearing any helmet.  The driver who was wearing a helmet was the one who survived.   

Insights (Discovery, Stimulus, Reinforcement)

Life is too short, take the case of this 23-year-old girl, her life ended tragically and senselessly just because she neglected a simple act of wearing a helmet while hitching on a motorcycle.

I can’t help but think that I just did the same thing she did, and what happened to that girl might have happened to me because I also took  the same risk, and was confident that I was in no danger when I hitched with my father-in-law.  Life can be taken away in an instant just because of a simple act of recklessness.