05.06.11 Man Trapped after car hits tree in M20 Crash near Maidstone, Kent
A car driver was trapped after his car fell down an embankment and collided with a tree alongside the M20 near Maidstone, Kent at 21:08 last night (Sunday 5 June 2011).
Two people were injured when the car lost control in heavy rain and slid down the embankment, hitting a tree and trapping the driver. The incident occurred on the coast-bound carriageway between Junction 4 and 5 of the M20. A SIMCAS Nurse/Paramedic and two ambulances were required to treat the victims. Police and Kent Fire and Rescue crews also attended the crash.
The driver was trapped in his car for more than an hour and needed to be cut free, whilst his passenger received minor injuries. Bob Sheridan - a volunteer Immediate Care Nurse and Paramedic with SIMCAS - was called by South East Coast Ambulance Service from his home in Leybourne to attend the incident.
Bob commented "this was a very serious accident in atrocious weather conditions; the teamwork from all of the emergency services was excellent"
Both casualties were taken to hospital in Maidstone. The driver was immobilised at scene with full spinal precautions.
Notes
- Bob Sheridan is a Nurse and Paramedic who lives in Leybourne. He has worked as a volunteer emergency responder for SIMCAS for many years.
- The South East Coast Immediate Care Scheme (SIMCAS) has been active for over 20 years. It is an emergency care charity and provides properly equipped, experienced doctors or nurses at the scene of an accident or emergency when requested by the Fire, Police or Ambulance Services. It sends specialists to about 500 incidents per year.
- Many areas around the UK now have their own immediate care scheme. Nationally these are grouped under the BASICS (The British Association for Immediate Care) organisation.
- SIMCAS is fortunate in its close links with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb). SIMCAS provide the Medical Incident Commander (or MIC) for a major incident anywhere in Kent, Surrey or Sussex.
- SIMCAS volunteers have a wealth of experience in pre-hospital care and include GPs, emergency medicine consultants and anaesthetists. They have specialist medical training as well as driver training and assist as part of the emergency services response in their own vehicles (which are equipped with lights and sirens).
- Being able to give a general anaesthetic at the roadside and provide advanced pain relief as well as performing life saving surgical procedures can mean the difference between life and death.
- We work in our communities, assisting the road and air ambulances to bring life saving care to the victims of major trauma. The majority of SIMCAS volunteers' work involves serious road traffic collisions, penetrating trauma such a stabbings but can involve managing major incidents.
- www.simcas.org.uk. Registered U.K. Charity Number 297590
- For further information contact Dr Neil Iosson (07866 424754 or neil@iosson.net)