NorthBay Trauma Center Meets Challenge of Multi-Casualty Crash
The Trauma Center in NorthBay Medical Center met the tenacious challenge of a multi-casualty calamity on Wednesday when a helicopter and six ambulances rushed victims of a traffic pile-up on Highway 12 to the Fairfield hospital.
First to arrive was a California Highway Patrol helicopter transporting the most seriously injured victim of the four-vehicle crash. Within 25 minutes, the first of six Medic Ambulance rigs was at the Emergency Department door. Arrival of the injured was continuous.
"We performed as we have trained and practiced for extraordinary incidents such as these," said Heather Venezio, Trauma Program Director. "We initiated a full activation and mobilized trauma specialists, from nurses to surgeons to lab techs, blood bank and diagnostic imaging staff."
The victims, who ranged in age from 24 to 48, suffered a variety of injuries, some moderate and some very serious. The patient who arrived via CHP helicopter was ejected from his vehicle. He went directly into surgery and on Thursday morning remained in intensive care.
A second crash victim is recovering in an acute care unit, while the other five were all released from the hospital by Thursday morning.
While the NorthBay team was diligently treating the seven victims of the four-vehicle crash, another vehicle accident sent an eighth trauma patient for treatment.
"It required a tremendous coordination of people and resources, working with the CHP flight crew and the Medic Ambulance crews, while mobilizing our people to ensure patients had the proper care and the earliest care," Venezio explained. "Ironically, this is when the system works best, when things are critical, when people perform to save lives because they are trained and they have practiced the protocols over and over."
Additional nursing staff from intensive care, surgery and post-surgery units responded to the Emergency Department. Two additional trauma surgeons, emergency room staff and surgical teams were also mobilized.
"We hope we never have to use all of these measures," Venezio explained, "but when we do, we want to ensure it goes as it is supposed to go. And it did."
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