©InfoJonas Jackson got a real shock when he saw a cyclist hit by a car and flung high into the air – but, unlike other passers-by, the trained first aider didn’t hesitate for a second before stepping in to help.
Jonas, an event first aid volunteer, was driving through Orpington with his mum and brother on 28 March when the incident occurred.
He recalled: "We were driving back from the airport when I saw a car hit the back wheel of a bike coming in the opposite direction. The rider was flung high into the air and landed really heavily on the road. I shouted to my brother to stop the car and ran over to see if I could help.”
Quick response
He added: “Lots of people had stopped but they were all just standing around and not knowing what to do. I went straight over to the casualty, asked his name [Andy] and told him I was a Red Cross first aider. I started checking him over to look for injuries and asked if there was any pain – he was complaining of a strong discomfort in his lower back.”
Gradually, more help began to appear. Jonas said: “An off-duty police officer came over to help and called an ambulance, and another bystander gave me a travel first aid kit from her car. I found deep cuts on the casualty’s knee and thumb, so bandaged those and kept him immobilised so as not to further hurt his back.”
First aid instincts
When the ambulance arrived, Jonas still had one more delicate task to perform. He recalled: “Andy asked me to call his heavily pregnant wife to let her know he’d been involved in an accident and was being taken to hospital. I rang several times before I got through and, when I did speak to her, had to be very careful not to upset her too much due to her state.”
“I calmly explained that Andy had been hurt and was being taken to Princess Royal Hospital. Then the ambulance crew asked me to help them put Andy onto a spinal board – he was quite a big guy – so he could be immobilised as much as possible.”
Looking back on the incident, Jonas said: “It felt really good to be able to help and it was the first time my mum and brother had ever seen me in action. I was just really pleased I was able to do something. My first aid training meant I just went straight into dealing with the situation without any hesitation."
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