Henry

So I will never forget a little boy by the name of Henry. This happened back in 2005 when I was 8 months pregnant. My sister and niece were visiting and we had just gone to Target and were on our way back to our house. We were right outside our subdivision when I saw that an accident had just happened. My sister stayed in the car with the kids and I ran over to the car. A truck that was pulling a stucco machine was traveling one way when the trailer came unattached and hit a car head on traveling the opposite direction. There was a lady in the drivers seat , young boy in the passenger, baby in the back car seat and then Henry in the rear passenger seat. He looked the worse as he was barely breathing. I had some men pull him out and lay him on the ground. I began CPR (along with mouth to mouth which I had never done before) and soon another RN came by and began to help me. It seemed like forever until the firemen/police arrived. They continued to work on Henry and they wanted to stop efforts (it was pretty obvious that he was not going to make it). However, I have seniority over them and I wouldn't let them. I couldn't bare the thought of leaving him dead in the middle of the street. He was flown by chopper to a near by trauma center and pronounced dead upon arrival. Being a mom, I would want everything to be done to save my child's life. Even though flying him to the hospital did not change the outcome, I'm hoping it helped the mom realize that we really did everything possible to save his life. All others in the car survived without life threatening injuries. I found out that Henry died of
1. subdural hematoma (bleeding on the brain)
2. cerebral edema (swelling around the brain)
3. laceration of the spinal cord (spinal cord snapped in half)
4. transection of the spinal aorta (major blood vessel cut in half)
5. massive hemoperitoneam (Bleeding in the abdomen)
6. hypoxia- ischemic injury to the intestines (gut died due to lack of oxygen)
7. rib fractures (possibly caused by CPR, that is very common)
8. partial avulsion of the lt kidney (part of the kidney tore off)

Last I heard they were still deciding if they were going to press charges against the driver of the truck and owner of the company. Two weeks prior to the accident the company had been cited for a faulty emergency trailer brake and lack of safety chains. Every time I pass a truck pulling a trailer I look to see if the safety chain is being used and it's amazing how often there is no safety. I get so mad every time I see that! That safety chain is so important!

Henry was wearing his seat belt but it was only a lap belt. This experience has made me realize how important that shoulder strap really is. The experience was very sad. It reminded me of how fragile life is. How our earthly time can be over in an instant.
I'm glad that I was driving by just at the right time. I'm glad that I was able to do all that I knew how to save Henry's life. I'm sad that I was not able to save him. But it was his time.
I try to remember the importance of this life and the good that each one of us can do.