Man Trapped by Overturned Digger
Emergency services were called on Saturday 28 January 2012 at 15:16 to Ansty, Hayywards Heath, West Sussex where a man had fallen under and become trapped by a small mechanical digger. The digger had tipped over whilst the man was working in the rear garden of a house.
The crew of the Sussex and Surrey Air Ambulance worked together with Dr Alan Pearce of SIMCAS and paramedics from South East Coast Ambulance service to treat his injuries. Rescue crews from West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service lifted the digger from the casualty using a combination of winches and inflatable airbags. The digger driver was trapped for about an hour and half before he could be released. He was taken by land ambulance to The Royal Sussex County Hospital (due to the failing light) accompanied by the helicopter medical team.
Dr Alan Pearce from SIMCAS said "this was quite a difficult entrapment: the victim was almost entirely under the digger and initially we could only reach one of his arms – this made treatment very difficult. We could still assess his vital signs and give him pain killing drugs until he could be freed. With excellent teamwork between the medical and Fire and Rescue Services we got a good end result."
Notes to Editors
A small version of an image from the incident is attached. A full size copy (3.7MB) can be supplied on request. -Dr Alan Pearce is a GP in Hailsham, East Sussex. He is chairman of SIMCAS and has been a responder for over 20 years. 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).
- 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
- 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) (please note I'm holding a surgery myself until 1830 this evening - emails preferred)