“I go through a pair of trainers quicker than most athletes… not from wear and tear but due to the blood soaked splatter stains that never wash out”.
- Haunting words spoken by the A&E consultant at a recent AXA Roadsafe Roadshow that was held at Goffs, in Kildare on Thursday 15th April.
He went on to describe the scene of carnage that follows every road accident – the tangled mess of instruments, the pools of blood, the look of horror on everyone’s faces. But he wasn’t even talking about the accident black spot, he was talking about the A&E surgery room after a car crash victim has passed through.
At one point during the roadshow a schoolgirl fainted. It’s not an uncommon occurrence. The only shock tactic involved was to tell it as it is, from a variety of perspectives. The parents, families and friends stories whose lives will never move on. The gardaí, ambulance paramedics, firemen, doctors and nurses who somehow hide their emotion and nausea and get on with the job at hand.
There are lots of stats given about regarding the loss of life on Irish road – 239 killed last year, half under 30 years old, mostly young men. It’s probably easier for us to digest these facts and figures than it is to witness the personal trauma that deeply affects those left behind to pick up the pieces. But often theirs is the only voice left to be heard.
Unfortunately, the main protagonists of the story have nothing left to say. A life extinguished before it ever really got going. When the Roadshow finished and we exited the building, the mangled mess of a crashed car awaited us outside, to further drive home the message of road safety. One thing’s for sure, I have never driven home as carefully as I did that day. And long may that continue.
Brought to you by AXA Car Insurance Ireland
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