Trauma: Life in the D.R.

The Dressing Room, that is.

Bet my Friday was more awesome than yours.

Most days our little two bed procedure room serves as a place for people to get injections, have their dressing changed, or have their cut sewed up but today, we were the local trauma center.

There was a terrible car accident just a mile down the road from where we are. A group from a local church was headed out of town for a weekend retreat when somehow the driver lost control going up the road and the truck (filled with people in the bed) rolled backwards and flipped off the road. We walked by this afternoon and I snapped these pictures. Thankfully, no one was killed in the accident, which you can see is a nothing short of a miracle.


That would be blood on the rocks



We had no idea that anything had happened until the people starting flooding in the gates carrying bloodied, injured patients. Lori was back at her house a minute or so away and Licia called her to get here immediately. We cleared all the regular patients who were waiting on the benches and started triaging the worst. We got two beds going in the dressing room and decided which ones needed to be sent into town.



We suspected a broken hip. Turns out it wasn't broken, but he still has to stay off of it for a month.


We were trying to get some patients cleaned up on the bench to make room for the worst ones


This women broke her collar bone



The skull was cracked but not totally fractured on this kiddo.



This woman is 8 months pregnant and said she fell right on her stomach


We heard a good heartbeat though, so it looks like everything is fine!






The police showed up to get a report and offered to take the hip patient and collar bone patient into town. You can see that the crowd that gathered outside the gate during all of the chaos.






Thank you, Jesus that there was a place for them to come today. Thank you that Lori, Licia, Zach and their families have given their lives to care for the people of this village. Please pray for continued healing.