Worst medical experiences

[wisref2]

Wasn't much I could do about this, but thought it we a fun topic to kick around. Had a three-game set one afternoon a couple years ago - 5-6th grade, 7th grade, then an 8th grade game. Guy on the chain crew had just got his EMT certificate with the local volunteer department that week (I should have known this was going to happen!). Game one, kid bumps his knee when he fell and stars crying. Our rookie EMT rushes on the field, exams him, and calls the ambulance on his radio. Total delay - 15 minutes. Second game, kid hurts his arm - ambulance called. Third game, another knee, another call to the ambulance - but the village's ambulance is still tied up with the last call so they send an ambulance from the next village - 30 minutes. And wouldn't you know it - one more injury, one more ambulance call and even longer wait because the area's two ambulances are both tied up! We started at 4:30, should have been done by 8. Walked off the field at 10 p.m. 4 boo-boos, no real injuries, and four kids in the hospital in one afternoon!!!!

[JugglingReferee]

I haven't had anything too too bad.

Doing a provincial final 2 years ago. Second or third play from scrimmage and pop - a guys ankle was 67° to the left-right-up-down. Short day for him. His team ended up winning by stopping the other team on the last play of the game.

[Bob M.]

REPLY: Varsity game a number of years ago. QB gets sacked and doesn't get up. Trainer, docs come out. Kid's neck hurts. Doc says don't move him. Calls ambulance. They come and finally get him on the backboard still in helmet of course. Game resumes about an hour later. Saw the kid later on in the season wearing one of those contraptions that mount on the shoulders and then screw into the head. Seems he ended up breaking a cervical vertebrae.

Another that didn't happen to me personally, but rather to a good friend who was a referee in a varsity game. Kid collapses on the field. Trainer and doc come out...call the EMTs over. Rush him to the hospital where he's pronounced DOA. Can't recall exactly the cause, but I did watch the play on the news that evening. Kid was running behind his defensive line at the snap. Slight bump into two guys engaged in blocking and collapses. No violent contact...just a relatively minor bump. My friend didn't get over that one for quite a while.

[kdf5]

We had broken legs two years in a row at the same school. Different players but same school. Ambulance on the field, 15 minute delay...it was like deja vu. We went the third year afraid to start the game for fear we'd have a hat trick.

Wiseref2: I think I would have sent the EMT along with the second ambulance.

[mikesears]

JV game. Home team is a small town school with only 13 total players. 1st quarter, visiting team punts, home team fields it and the player with the ball gets taken down with a clean tackle. Kid begins screaming in agony (using some pretty colorful language) and one of the guys on the crew tells him to settle down. He takes one look at the kid and notices that his leg is bent at an aweful angle -- He had a full break of his leg. Immediately called the ambulance. 30-45 minutes later we get the game going again.

I'm a bit queazy when it comes to seeing stuff like that so I'm glad I wasn't the covering official.

[chris s]

Pop-Warner playoffs in San Jose area few years back. AMR is our legit service, on field and accreitted, they are the appointed med staff. Kid busts about a 60 yard run, gets tackled from behind and face plants. Gets up, staggers ands goes back down, he's out. I am WH and signal for med satff(thay were on the way already), paramedics are there, get helmet off and are checking for spinal cord injury, all of a sudden this woman rushes out, claims she's a surgical RN and decides to try to take over. This woman is HOT(pissed), tels para's to **** off and she knows all that is God and more. Fortunately, prez guy is on field, I help him get the crazy-***** off our field and let the APPOINTED med staff do it's job.

Bottom line was to allow the APPOINTED med staff work, not somebody from the stands

[schmitty1973]

I've seen a couple bones sticking out of fingers in flag football. But nothing major in tackle.

[chris s]

Originally posted by schmitty1973
I've seen a couple bones sticking out of fingers in flag football. But nothing major in tackle.

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Lucky you!!!!!!

[MJT]

Semi-pro game last year, WR goes down, stays down, and when I get over there, his right wrist is bent 90 degrees to the right (away from the thumb). 35 minute delay and real nasty looking.

BB game had a kid come down and after the fall his elbow is bending the opposite direction of normal. That was nasty looking as well.

Had a kid try a block on the opening kickoff of a varsity game, and didn't get up. Coach came out and saw the knee bent a weird angle, and first thing he asks the kid, "Is that the knee you just had surgery on?" Kid's response: "AWWWWWW ****, yes it is!" We stood back and watched while the rescue squad guys got him on the board and into the bus. Delay took about 15 minutes. Kid even "instructed" the EMT's on how to handle the knee.

[Forksref]

I use this general rule out on the field: NEVER touch a player. It's not your job to be the doctor or the hero. You don't have enough liability insurance! Only time I'd touch a kid is if I see him choking on his mouth guard. There are trainers and coaches whose job it is to take care of injuries.

[Ed Hickland]

The absolutely worst medical situation I can remember had a bunch of conflicting thnigs all at once.

Rainy Saturday morning JV game. Two players hit head on and fall immediately to the gorund. Attendants rush on the field just as the rain begins to fall heavily. Home team players gets up but visiting player appears to be unconscious.

It is decided to call for an ambulance. As someone runs to get a cell phone the heavy rain suddenly becomes a full blown thunderstorm with visible lightning.

In accordance with state rules the game is immediately suspended and players sent to shelter. Except the player on the ground should not be moved as the horn goes off to summon the volunteer fire department.

An attendant runs to the bench to get a blanket and an unbrella to keep the player from going into hypothermia. Don't forget there is an intense thunderstorm in progress.

It all ended well when the ambulance showed up five minutes later.

Can you imagine the report if someone had been struck by ligntning!

[ljudge]

Forksref, good point but there's one exception that I was made aware of by a fellow cadet a few years ago.

From this instance I can think of, it's my understanding an official is obligated to touch a injured player. If a game official or member of the chain crew is working the game and happens to be an EMT, he or she is an EMT first and an official second. (That's what he told us any way).

While working as a cadet our supervisor told us to NEVER touch a player which to most of us only makes sense. We had an EMT in our class who spoke up and corrected our instructor that legally in these situations he could be held criminally liable if he doesn't intervene. He brought up one situation where a coach was about to remove a helmet from a player and (luckily) he intervened and as adamant about what needed to be done. He basically had to argue his credentials because coaches know we're not supposed to touch kids either. The kid ended up injuring a "C-5" (or what ever it's called) on the play and if the coach had removed the helmet it could have led to spinal cord damage. He took the necessary steps to secure the player's head and in the end he may have saved further injury.

[kdf5]

Hey gainesta38, you catching any of this thread??

[Bob Lyle]

Originally posted by ljudge

From this instance I can think of, it's my understanding an official is obligated to touch a injured player. If a game official or member of the chain crew is working the game and happens to be an EMT, he or she is an EMT first and an official second. (That's what he told us any way).

This is not true in all states. Medically trained personnel don't have a legal obligation to act when a bystander or passerby. Ethically yes, but legally no. For instance, a trauma doctor is under no legal obligation to stop his car when passing a traffic accident with obvious injuries. However, if he does become involved, he must stay involved until the crisis passes or relieved by an equivalent or higher medical authority.

The legal question that could be raised, is a person hired to be an official a bystander for purposes of providing medical treatment? Or once one has been hired on in any capacity, must he also assume medical duties if trained to do so?

Good question. I doubt that the answer is the same everywhere.