First on scene to car wreck

[T-Bird78]

Driving to work last week I happened to be behind a serious car wreck. The person hit was in an oversized SUV, fine but would be sore the next day, but the person that rear-ended was in bad shape. Hood crumpled, windshield shattered, bruising on chest/abdomen from hitting steering wheel (airbag did not deploy), and said they were getting heir nitro out of shirt pocket when they hit. Foot in a boot, bleeding gash on hand, says they're taking strong anticoagulants and oral diabetic meds. Proud of him that they knew their name, spouse's name and number, and told us the names of all meds! Bleeding diabetic on anticoags possibly having an MI which caused the wreck which totaled the car--what a way to start the morning. Fortunately a good Samaritan was able to reach from the back seat and turn the ignition off--car was smoking). Praying for them!

[FlyingScot, RN]

People still have to get places, even when they have major medical conditions. Life doesn't stop with a diagnosis. It sucks that these people are on the road, but in many places, public transportation isn't good enough to take the place of driving a car, and few people are rich enough to have a private chauffeur.

I think the issue isn't that the patient was driving in general but that the patient continued to drive while attempting to take nitro. The prudent thing to do was to pull over.