What to do when accidents happen at home

24-year-old Chibuzor was sharing with his colleagues why he moves around using a wheelchair. The sad event happened when he was 10 years old. His parents had travelled out of town for an occasion, and he and his 3 siblings were playing. “Whoever can jump from the sofa to the table without touching the ground is the winner,” Chibuzor said to them, knowing that his younger ones would not succeed. He stood on the arm of the sofa and jumped, reaching for the table. While one foot managed to reach the table, his second foot did not and he fell heavily, crashing his neck onto a nearby chair. He screamed in pain while his siblings helplessly tried to reach their parents by phone. Eventually, they went to the neighbor’s house looking for help. The neighbors tried to carry Chibuzor, but with each move, he screamed even more. No car or taxi was available to transport him to hospital until his parents arrived 3 hours later to meet their child in pain. They carried him into the car and took him to the hospital, and on assessment at the hospital, he could no longer move his lower limbs with the complaint of increasing neck pain. He was admitted and diagnosed with a spinal cord injury.

Whenever an accident happens, it is tempting to immediately carry the victim to hospital by any means necessary. The intention is good, but if a patient with head or neck injuries is not carefully moved, there could be severe long-term consequences. Listening to Chibuzor’s story, it is clear that prompt medical intervention and appropriate transportation could have prevented long-term disability, because he was moving his legs at home but due to improper transportation enroute hospital, it resulted in irreversible injury.

What can you do if someone suffers an accident at home or on the road? Call ERA at 0800 0225 5372 and our qualified Medical First Responders will arrive to help treat and move the patient safely and quickly. 

Emergency Response Africa is changing the way medical emergencies are managed in Africa, beginning in Nigeria. By combining training, technology, and transportation, we are creating a scalable emergency medical services system for all.

WHY CALL ERA?

1. We respond to all medical emergencies in minutes with qualified medical personnel, using motorcycles to beat traffic and avoid delays.

 2. We have partnerships with verified Emergency-Ready hospitals across Lagos, that affords our subscribers immediate medical attention upon arriving at these hospitals, beating registration and waiting protocols.

3. Our services are affordable and subscribers don’t need to worry about payment at the time of an emergency.

4. Our First Responders are qualified, swift, and empathetic. 

Don\’t wait for medical emergencies to happen and leave you helpless. Subscribe to ERA and have someone to call whenever you have a medical emergency.