Exactly 10 am, about 20km north of the Bubye River (satellite image here), we came across this truck accident (seems the driver fell asleep at the wheel). It must have happened not long before we arrived. Six or Seven trucks and vehicles stopped to help but only one had a (small) first aid kit. So we helped with first-aid we could manage ... recovery position, covered against shock, cursory checks for broken bones etc, hydration. It was difficult with just one pair of latex gloves and one shock blanket. The picture shows some of the wreckage of a horse that was pulling two trailers loaded with processed tobacco.
All four who were in the cab were injured, one critically and one seriously. After about an hour, a couple with a bakkie (pick-up with a canopy) stopped and offered to drive the three most injured into the district hospital at Beit Bridge, about 120kms away.
There was no phone signal that far along the road of course, and the nearest clinic in Rutenga had no fuel for an ambulance, so we opted for Beit Bridge where a larger hospital might have given injured Patience a better chance ... she had a crushed skull and bleeding from her ears ... so we are doubtful.
We managed to locate the two girls' (sisters Caroline and Patience) parents in Harare and gave them all the info we had. The owner of the truck was more concerned about his lost load of tobacco than his driver, when we called him from Masvingo.
We drove away with sadness that most of these trucks are ill equipped for accidents (only one driver seemed to have first aid training - he was a South African with LOBOTRANS - and he helped us a lot). We also decided to ensure we travel with a box of latex gloves on future long distance trips, and our own first-aid box like we used to have.
Photo by MDT
3 comments:
Too often we get wraped up in the matters of this world , many not realiseing that things matter little in the greater sceam(sp?) of things.Many put more value on material things than they do a human life!
Some day they are going to wake up and face the Master of all, and account for the time they spent here. ( I said they, but we all are going to have to account for the time we spent on Earth!) It reminds me of the parrible of the tallents, are we going to be like the foolish servent and burry them or are we going to invest them to bring more into the coffers of the Master?
There is an old hymn we sing over here called "This World is not my Home"
" This world is not my home, I'm just a passing through!
My home lyes up some where beyond the blue!
The angels beccon me from Hevens' open door.
And I can't feel at home in this world any more.
Christ said, "You can not serve both God and Mammon! You must love the one and despise the other, or cling to the one and discard the other"
Thomas<><
Well, Concerned in Texas!
I am sure your Christian message is well intended, but preaching to the choir as far as I am concerned (if you have bothered to read any more of my blog you would figure that one out).
What I cannot understand is your fundamentalist stance in talking about being too wrapped up in things of THIS world in my posting about helping at a bad accident scene?
Would you have just prayed for them without a helping hand, and then drive on thankful you still had clean hands and were on schedule?
C'mon, Thomas with the fish sign ... make your professed faith more real than what you post to comments on blogs! And just for the record, my wife and I did take a few moments whilst rendering basic first aid ... to pray individually and specifically ... for each of the injured people. - MDT
My communication skills are getting bad these days, Of corse you should have rendered aid to those wounded! As you did. what I was saying was not aimed at you or your gracious wife, but rather at an uncareing world out there.
Most would have passed them by thinking that it was not their bussiness. much like those charicters in the parable of the good Sameritan!
There are too many people out there that are so wraped up in them selves that they can not or will not see what is comming soon!
Again I regret not makeing my point clearer.
May God richly bless you and yours, as you carry out his work.
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