You are absolutely correct. But Fire Officers are taught this, and you have
to trust someone sometime...

Talking of electrocution at accidents, did you know that if a crash damaged
Toyota Prius is in a waterlogged ditch there is a danger of the rescuers
being electrocuted?

And if a car built with carbon fibre catches fire the snoke is electrically
conductive, so if there are pylons a little downwind....

Pre-hospital Care is such fun, now I know why you have a desk job, Matthew.

Vic Calland

----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Cooke" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 11:02 AM
Subject: Re: Taxing case 2 first instalment.



I atended an incident a few years ago with electric cables  over a car, no
sparking etc. I thought this would be safe but checked with fire officer,
whose message I will remember...

It has probably been switched off at present but electricity board policy is
to switch power back on again after 20 minutes maximum unless they are
informed otherwise.
Short cicuits are so common they cannot check every one.

So my first move would be to speak to fire officer and double check he has
contacted electricity supply company

Matthew


>>> [log in to unmask] 06/16/03 15:32 PM >>>
Electricity cables need only to be insulated from the ground.  Overhead
lines use air as their insulator and have no covering.  Underground cable
conductors are wrapped in layers of insulating material.

Therefore, even in the absence of bare cable ends and sparking, it should be
assumed that the electricity cable is live and is probably being earthed
through the vehicle cab (since it is on its side - usually the rubber tires
would insulate the cab from ground).

I imagine that if the cab is lifted without first addressing the electricity
supply the electricity may find some other route to ground, possibly through
the patient or a rescuer.

Max.

Max Hills
Clinical fellow in emergency medicine,
St. Vincent's University Hospital,
Dublin, Ireland.

-----Original Message-----
From: Accident and Emergency Academic List
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Rowley Cottingham
Sent: 15 June 2003 23:33
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Taxing case 2 first instalment.

44 tonne articulated left hand drive truck from Holland goes out of control
on sweeping series of
bends, rolling onto left side. As it does so, it knocks down an wooden
electricity pole, and the cable
is now tightly stretched across the right side of the cab and trailer, which
is now uppermost. No bare
cable ends are visible and no sparking can be seen or heard. The passenger
has been ejected through
the windscreen, and is conscious on the grass complaining of a painful right
arm. An ambulance crew
are assessing and packaging him.

The driver, who is about 60 years old, is trapped in a semi-upright position
by his left thigh. He has
an obvious # dislocation of the left thumb, but nothing of the left leg can
be seen or felt below upper
thigh. Airway, chest are normal and he has no apparent neck injury.

He is tachycardic, 120bpm, tachypnoeic at 36 breaths/minute and in pain from
his left leg. Fire service
report that entrapment of the left leg is severe and may take some time to
release. There are now
approximately 3 hours of daylight left. The patient tells the paramedic that
he knows he is going to
lose the leg.

How would you manage this patient?

Best wishes,


Rowley Cottingham

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http://www.emergencyunit.com