© InfoIan Newton was really glad that he’d done a Red Cross first aid at work course when he came across the aftermath of a vicious street attack in Nottingham. Here’s how he responded:
Leaving work one evening, I saw a young man running fast down the road – then heard a scream coming from the direction he’d come from. I could see a young woman bending over someone on the floor, so went over to see if I could help.
Beside the distressed woman, I found a young man lying unconscious on the floor. He was bleeding badly from the nose and mouth, and from a very swollen area on his left temple.
Checked for injuries
The man’s response level was zero, but he was clearly breathing. Another passer-by helped me carefully put him into the recovery position, while I asked a third passer-by to phone an ambulance and tell them we had an unconscious casualty. All this time, the young lady was very upset – bordering on hysterical – but I did glean that her friend had been attacked by her ex-boyfriend (the man who had been running off down the road).
While monitoring the casualty’s condition, I calmed the woman down and made sure that an ambulance and the police were on the way. As the casualty started to regain consciousness, I checked him over for other injuries.
As the casualty came to, I reassured him and asked where he was feeling pain. The poor man didn’t know where he was or what had happened, but by the time a police officer arrived he could sit up and tell them his details.
'I did okay'
When the ambulance arrived, I told the ambulance crew everything I knew about the casualty’s condition and the incident itself, before leaving.
I felt quite calm afterwards, but kept going over in my mind if I could have done anything different or better. On the whole though, I think I did okay – and the casualty definitely benefitted from my being there to help.
Learn first aid
Become a first aid volunteer