Fifth Vital [EN]: Chapter 15

15. Triple Collision

“Teacher, could there have been an accident?”

Lee Chan-hee asked with worried eyes, looking at the cars stopped like dominoes.

“I don’t know…”

He thought it might be an accident as soon as he looked out the car window, but he quickly changed his mind.

“It’s probably not an accident.”

He knew better than anyone the terrible experiences of traffic accident (TA) patients.

“It would be dangerous if an accident happened in a place like this.”

Lee Chan-hee was right. The current location of the stopped vehicle was a four-lane road. It was also a national highway without traffic lights.

On roads without traffic lights, vehicles travel at high speeds, which can lead to bigger accidents. That meant there was a high probability that the patient’s injuries would be severe.

“They’re probably doing road work. They’re always tearing up the roads.”

The patient, who had been listening to the two, said as if it was nothing serious.

“Honey, what’s going on?”

But before the patient could finish speaking, the voices of people outside the car window began to be heard.

“It’s a traffic accident. A really big one.”

“A traffic accident?”

“Yeah, a triple collision.”

“A triple collision?”

“Oh my. A lot of people must have been hurt.”

“You have no idea. The cars are wrecked, it’s a mess.”

“Oh my goodness!”

“There’s even an ambulance among the wrecked cars, it’s a complete disaster.”

“An ambulance too? Oh my. Honey, call 119 [emergency services number in South Korea] and the police first.”

“Fortunately, one police car and one ambulance are already there. I’m sure they requested help.”

“I hope the injured aren’t seriously hurt.”

“Who wouldn’t? You have to be careful when driving. The kids are in the car, right? It’s dangerous, let’s get back in the car.”

“Okay.”

Tae-kyung’s expression was worsening as he focused on the conversation outside the car window.

‘A triple collision…’

The thought that maybe it was a traffic accident had turned into a certainty.

He had thought it might be a traffic accident, but hearing it was a triple collision, he couldn’t help but think about the injured.

‘One ambulance is not enough to take care of triple collision patients. If there’s a critical trauma patient among them, the golden time [the critical period for treatment] is crucial.’

“Teacher?”

Lee Chan-hee called out to Tae-kyung, who met his eyes.

“It seems like there’s been a big accident outside.”

“I heard. I’ll go take a look. You stay here, Lee.”

“Teacher, it’s a triple collision. I don’t think you can handle it alone…”

“Then what about the patient? We’re transferring a patient right now.”

“Ah!”

Even though he was afraid of the operating room, Lee Chan-hee was also a general surgery (GS) resident. He also knew the injuries of TA patients well, so he momentarily forgot about the transferring patient.

“The old man is fine, so both of you go out quickly. You said it’s a big accident.”

“No. I’ll stay here with the patient.”

“Okay. Take good care of the patient.”

Thud-

‘The smell!’

The smell carried by the wind greeted him as soon as he got out of the private ambulance.

Although the intensity was weak due to the distance from the accident site, it seemed like several stages of smells were mixed together.

* * *

“People should drive better. What a mess.”

“I saw earlier that an emergency responder seemed to be injured too.”
Tae-kyung hurried through the stopped vehicles and the people who had come out. The voices of people who had witnessed the scene were heard next to him.

“One emergency responder was hit by a car while saving someone and is covered in blood.”

“That’s awful. I feel sorry for the emergency responders when I see things like this.”
Tae-kyung’s brow furrowed slightly as soon as he heard the words ‘covered in blood.’

“Please help!”

“A lot of people are hurt here!”

The voices of people desperately crying out grew louder as he got closer to the scene. Also, the intensity of the smell was getting stronger and stronger.

The rapidly moving footsteps stopped on the asphalt, and the scene came into Tae-kyung’s view.

“Oh my! How could an accident happen like this…”

The scene he finally faced was more horrific than he had imagined. Among the wrecked cars, there were cars that had lost their shape as if they had been crumpled like paper.

“Ugh!”

And a fiercely intense stage 4 formalin smell hit his sense of smell like a whirlwind.

‘It’s strong. The strongest smell so far.’

The concentration of the formalin smell was stronger than it had been with Kim Deok-soo. It was so strong that it felt like it was entering his brain through his sense of smell, making him feel numb.

“Citizens, it will be difficult to clean up if you stay here. Please return to your cars for safety. Hey you!”

A police officer who was stopping the crowded people shouted at Tae-kyung, who was entering the scene.

“What are you doing now? This is an accident scene.”

“I know.”

“If you know, get out of here quickly. It’s dangerous to enter the accident scene without permission.”

“I’m a doctor.”

“No, wait, a doctor… Excuse me? Did you say you’re a doctor?”

“Yes.”

Tae-kyung took off the jumper he was wearing. It wasn’t a white coat, but the scrubs and the hole-punched slippers were definitely a doctor’s attire.

“Come in quickly.”

Tae-kyung, who had entered the scene, instinctively turned his head following the strong smell. The condition of the patient, who was covered in blood, didn’t look good at all.

“There’s severe bleeding, can I take a look?”

The emergency responder, who was struggling between the two patients, turned his head at Tae-kyung’s words.

“He’s a doctor.”

The emergency responder seemed relieved to hear that Tae-kyung was a doctor. They had experienced all sorts of things, but cases like this, with such severe bleeding, were rare.

“Doctor, the situation is not good.”

The veteran emergency responder already knew through experience.

That patients could die before arriving at the hospital if the bleeding was this severe.

“Especially this patient, the wrecked car was so crushed that it was difficult to rescue him.”

“Looking at the patient’s condition, it seems the bleeding worsened while taking him out of the car.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The patient’s bleeding was truly significant. To be exact, blood was gushing out from the middle of his left arm, the elbow pit area.

“Let me take a look.”

“Take your hand off.”

At Tae-kyung’s words, the rescuer took off the hand he was struggling to press down.

Whoosh-

Then the blood surged up again as if it were erupting.

‘This is going to be tough. There’s no point in trying to stop the bleeding with gauze anymore.’

Blood coming out in a pulsating manner like this means that an artery has been damaged. Arteries receive the blood pressure directly from the heart, so it’s almost impossible to stop the bleeding by pressing down with gauze.

“The artery is damaged. Do you have saline solution and something to clamp the blood vessel?”

“Excuse me!? Are you going to clamp the blood vessel?”

The emergency responder, surprised by the sound of clamping the blood vessel, asked back.

“There are no sterilized surgical instruments in the ambulance. Ah! There is a Kelly forceps [a surgical tool with scissors-like shape, small grooves on the front, and a fixing protrusion on the handle].”

“Then, can you get me the forceps, sterilized gloves, and iodine?”

“Yes, doctor. I understand.”

The emergency responder, who had brought the supplies from the ambulance, handed Tae-kyung a plastic bottle.

“Doctor, I brought hexidine instead of iodine.”

“Thank you.”

Iodine is a red medicine applied to wounds, and like hexidine, it is a disinfectant. However, opaque hexidine was easier to secure visibility than red iodine.

Thud-

A mass of gauze soaked with bright red blood fell to the ground.

“Doctor, I’ll help you.”

The veteran emergency responder poured a bottle of hexidine on the patient’s left arm, where bright red muscles and bone fragments were visible.

Meanwhile, Tae-kyung put on sterilized gloves and picked up the disinfected Kelly forceps.

“Doctor, the situation is dire, can you really clamp the blood vessel?”

“I have to. I can’t let the patient die here.”

Requiring great concentration, Tae-kyung even silenced his own breathing, and the emergency responder also held his breath. And it was then that a cautious hand was reaching for the patient.

“Kyaaak! Hey! What are you doing!!”

Suddenly, a young woman dressed in luxury brands appeared, screaming sharply.

“Oh my!! What should I do? Look at all that blood.”

The woman, who smelled of soju [Korean distilled beverage] every time she spoke, was slightly drunk.

“You shouldn’t be walking around suddenly.”

“It’s my legs, what’s it to you?”

“It’s not that, the treatment isn’t finished yet.”

“I don’t know anything about treatment or whatever.”

The woman, who had a cast on her neck and abrasions on her face, didn’t care about the emergency responder who followed her.

“That man over there is my boyfriend. But what are those people doing right now? Huh!?”

The woman was a passenger in the patient’s car. Traffic accidents can cause different degrees of injury depending on the accident, even if they are in the same car.

‘It’s the smell of ammonia.’

The formalin smell from the male patient was strong, but Tae-kyung could tell that the woman had a stage 2 smell.

‘Let’s treat that woman later.’

From what he could see, and fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to have any major injuries compared to the man.

“Seok-hoon? Can you hear me? Honey?”

“The patient has only recently regained consciousness, and you shouldn’t be walking around carelessly while he’s being treated.”

“Oh! That’s enough. Who is that person touching my *oppa* [term of endearment for an older brother or boyfriend] without permission?”

“That person is a doctor. So don’t worry too much…”

“No, but why isn’t the doctor wearing a gown? Is he a quack?”

“Please go over there and get your injuries treated first.”

Despite the emergency responder’s attempts to appease her, the woman’s attitude was consistently arrogant.

He understood the concerned feelings of a guardian, but this was only hindering the treatment.

* * *

“Blood pressure is normal.”

Lee Chan-hee, who remained in the private ambulance, was checking the patient’s blood pressure and pulse.

“If you feel even a little uncomfortable, please tell me right away.”

“Don’t worry. Do you know you’ve said that three times already?”

“Oh, did I?”

He was staying by the patient’s side, but Lee Chan-hee’s mind was entirely on the accident scene.

Moreover, he felt sorry for Tae-kyung, who was taking care of the patient alone.

Thud-

“This is no ordinary matter?”

The private ambulance driver, who had gone to the bathroom and visited the area near the scene, returned to the car.

“Is it that serious?”

“Oh my, don’t even mention it, old man. I’ve been to quite a few traffic accident scenes, but this is one of the biggest accidents I’ve ever seen.”

“That’s terrible. The ambulance needs to come quickly…”

“I called, and they said they’re on their way.”

“Lee?”

The patient called Lee Chan-hee, but he was distracted by the accident scene that was barely visible beyond the window and didn’t answer.

“Lee Chan-hee?”

“Yes. Did you call me?”

“Go take a look.”

“Excuse me?”

“Go take a look at the accident scene.”

“No. I should stay by the patient’s side.”

“I’m fine. I’m not a critically ill patient, so don’t worry about me and go quickly.”

“I’ll take good care of the old man, so please go quickly.”

The private ambulance driver also chimed in, adding strength to the patient’s words.

“I heard someone is interfering with Doctor Kim’s treatment.”

“Interfering? What about the police?”

“There are police officers, but they’re both busy directing traffic.”

“Did you hear that? Treating sick people is a doctor’s job. Go quickly.”

“Please take good care of the patient. I’ll be back.”

Lee Chan-hee hurried towards the accident scene.