Dear Editor,
While attending the Saturday afternoon performance of the Wildrose Rodeo last week-end, I witnessed a woman holding a 2 or 3 year old child, slip and fall hard while descending the unrailed staircase on the East side of the Arena. She lost her footing and fell backwards on the concrete steps pinning the little girl’s leg underneath of her. I happened to be sitting right beside where it happened and jumped to their assistance. The lady was not concerned for herself but of her grand-daughter who was crying and appeared to be in a lot of pain with her leg, reaching for her thigh area and she was turning very pale. I thought that she might have broken her leg. The lady got up, a little dazed and said she was going to take the little one to see her Mom. I told her she should have one of the paramedics that were quite visible back and forth in the Arena have a look at the little one first. One of my friends who is a nurse went to the lobby and talked to the lady and determined that the little girl needed assessment. There were five EMT attendants outside the front of the arena and someone was sent out to ask them to come and have a look at the little girl and they were told to go inside the Arena and get the Emergency Response people in there to look at her. When they were approached to come and see the child, they said they were there for the Rodeo people and they could not look at her, get the other guys to do it. Apparently some talk was thrown around about some stupid rule?? Can someone please explain the RULES to me in laymen terms!! What are rules when someone is hurt badly?
So, needless to say the little girl never got any help and Grandma took her to their trailer and from there Grandma and the Mom (who was a contestant at the Rodeo) took the little girl to the hospital where it was determined that she had a broken femur and was sent right away to Edmonton for emergency surgery – by ambulance I might add, with some of the same attendants who were at the Arena.
After Grandma had got frustrated (at the Arena) because she could not get any assistance, I went down to the lobby where several EMT’s were standing around and asked them what was going on when an injured child couldn’t be attended to. Wasn’t that why they were hanging around the Arena wearing those uniforms if not to help people in trouble, then why? Wasn’t it their chosen profession to help the injured regardless of why they were there in the first place. My God, that little girl could have bled out internally from her injury and it scares me to death that NO ONE with medical knowledge would come to evaluate her situation. Needless damage may have been done to the child while being carried around by Grandma and having her family take her to emergency at the hospital themselves.
I went to the hospital later, out of concern for the little girl to see how she was doing and I met up with the very distraught mother who gave me the details of her condition and she said, “the EMT’s at the Arena wouldn’t even look at her, isn’t that just a shame?”
Five EMT’s standing around, apparently I learned later, attending to someone having breathing problems. But two of them couldn’t break away and come across the parking lot to look at a little girl who was in big trouble. I can’t imagine the pain this poor little thing was in. I can’t get her little face out of my mind and I’m finding it very hard to understand what this world is coming to – I’m deeply troubled over this incident.
The Town of Barrhead is also to blame for this accident as I feel now more than ever that a handrail needs to be installed on this particular staircase as it is the most used in the Arena and it is dangerous. The steps are steep and narrow. I wonder how many people have had mishaps on these stairs and have not reported it. I know for a fact that many old folks are feeling insecure when they use them. It has been suggested to the Town on many occasions throughout the years that there needs to be a railing installed there. This need not have happened had the lady had a rail to hold on to. You would think the Town would be a little more concerned about liability if some one should get hurt. Why do we always wait till something happens? Come on SOMEONE take responsibility here and let’s make sure this never happens again.
I would like to see a response from the Emergency Medical Response teams in this paper as to why this happened and why the buck was being passed from one to the other.
Is this the kind of hospitality we show people who come to Barrhead for an important event?
Heartsick in Barrhead,
Elaine Visser
