A true hero....

Pictured at the award ceremony (from left) are Jason’s parents, Julie & Neil Gough, Jason Gough, Chaise Ladbrook, Mel Meffan, Chaise’s

parents, Josie & Ross Ladbrook, and Stew Hamilton

The Aluminium Plant Safety Blog loves to post positive stories (we really do!). Here is a great story from New Zealand.

Did you know that we have a true hero in our midst in Tiwai? Jason Gough, a contractor from the Reduction Line Services at New Zealand Aluminium Smelters saved his friend's life after a fun weekend getaway turned to tragedy.

Jason, Chaise Rodding and another friend were at Piano Flat for a weekend of motorbike riding. They were riding down a hill on a rutted road when Chaise's front wheel dug into a rut, resulting in him going over the handlebars on his bike.

The force of the wheel hitting the rut sent the bike around 1.5 meters up in the air. Unfortunately, when the bike came back down, the front wheel/handle bars landed onto Chaise's hips and thighs, piercing his femoral artery.

Jason quickly realized that Chaise was critically injured and knew they had to act quickly. With no mobile phone coverage in the area, the other friend went to find help while Jason attended to Chaise's injuries. Jason has had no formal first aid training but realized that Chaise was losing a lot of blood very quickly. To stem the blood flow he knew needed to shut off the punctured artery, and to do this he pressed his fingers on the pierced artery inside Chaise's leg.

Chaise and Jason had to stay in this position and wait for four hours before help arrived on the scene. The other friend had come across a few houses but unfortunately no-one was home. When he eventually had success the rescue helicopter was called. 

Toward toward the end of the four hour wait, Chaise was unsurprisingly very tired and starting to slip in and out of consciousness. Jason managed to keep him awake. When the rescue helicopter finally arrived, the doctors on board could not believe that Chaise was still alive. This of course was down to Jason's heroic efforts.

Chase was flown to Dunedin hospital where he was kept in a coma for three days. He then spent a month recovering in Southland Hospital. When Chaise's partner Mel asked Jason how he knew what to do, his reply was, "I saw it on TV a few times." In true Southland understated fashion, when Chaise's family thanked Jason at the award ceremony, he said "Anyone would have done it." Stew Hamilton presented Jason with a plaque on behalf of NZAS to thank him for his truly heroic efforts. Congratulations Jason!

Such an inspirational story. Without formal training Jason saved Chaise. 

Some type of formal first aid training is a must for all of us in the aluminium industry. In the United States, Red Cross offers classes and instructions on a multitude of topics (website here). 

Whereas in the United Kingdom there is the British Red Cross that offers classes and instructions (website here).

If you do not know where to take a first aid class, ask a health professional (i.e., nurse, doctor, etc.) for suggestions. 

The other option is search on YouTube for "first aid training red cross". Make sure whichever video you watch was filmed by a health organization.

Please comment.

http://www.nzaluminium.co.nz/files/20131010101451-1381353291-0.pdf