A Battle Against Ignorance – A Little Girl's Life, Somebody Else's Hands

On Labor Day, between 1:15 and 2:15 in the afternoon, an ambulance travelled from Farson to the Sweetwater County Memorial Hospital in Rock Springs. Along its hurried route it encountered several vehicles that refused to yield the right-of-way to this emergency vehicle whose lights were flashing and whose sirens were blaring.

Now let’s back up a little bit to about 1:10pm. The Place? The Labor Day Youth Rodeo in Farson. A little girl, who minutes before had been giggling with excitement and anticipation because she was going to get to ride a sheep in the rodeo, was now laying unconscious, on a stretcher, in the back of an ambulance, the result of a three-way encounter between her, the sheep, and a fence.

As this little girl drifted in and out of consciousness, the ambulance raced to get her to the hospital and the medical attention she required. She was, at times, completely unresponsive, and more than once during this journey, she stopped breathing. The few moments that she was close to consciousness were also disturbing, for she didn’t recognize her mother, who hovered fearfully over her. Absent from her eyes was that little sparkle that told the world that someone was home in her delicate little head.

Meanwhile, as the little girl fought for her life, the driver of the ambulance was fighting a battle of his own. As he cruised down the highway he was forced to drive well under the speed limit while he fought oncoming traffic and drivers who refused to let him pass. The ambulance followed one vehicle for miles before finally getting an opportunity to go around. After 45 miles of this kind of frustrating highway traffic, the ambulance finally entered Rock Springs. As they navigated through traffic, yet another car pulled out in front of the ambulance, forcing a hard brake. The little girl’s mom, who had been on her knees in the ambulance, laying over her daughter while she pleaded with her, trying to get some coherent response, was thrown across the ambulance and into one of the EMTs. Days later, she still bears to bruise on her leg. Finally, after nearly an hour, the little girl was delivered to Sweetwater County Memorial.

The story does have a happy ending. McKenna regained consciousness shortly after arriving at the hospital. She is now recovering from a broken collar bone and a pretty nasty concussion. She’s real sore and moving a little slow, but all in all she is in pretty good spirits, although she can’t understand why her “owwies” won’t go away.

This little episode has probably been the scariest ever in the lives of McKenna’s parents. Probably moreso for her mother, Teresa, who had been forced to watch helplessly as McKenna fought for consciousness.

Now that the scary part is over, and we know that McKenna will be fine, I find myself angrier than I’ve ever been. Angry at ignorant, inconsiderate drivers who refused to yield the right-of-way to an emergency vehicle. To those of you who are guilty of this, I hope you realize that every minute that your selfishness delayed that ambulance, was a minute that you were directly endangering the life of my three year old little girl. While her precious life hung in the balance, you were too busy to notice or care enough to get out of the way.

As you drive, please remember that emergency vehicles are not nuisances, nor are they inconveniences. They are trying to save someone’s life. This time, it was the life of my daughter. Next time, God forbid, it could be yours or that of one you love.

In closing, I would like to thank the EMTs and emergency room staff who worked so hard to take care of our daughter. You did a wonderful job and we’ll never forget the care you gave McKenna. Especially the gentleman who stayed with McKenna and comforted her while Teresa was on the phone looking for me. Thanks also to the friends and family who gave their care and support in our time of need. We love and thank you all.

-Wisdom

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