Given my line of work, I'm used to lots of mayhem, torn and often burned flesh and dead bodies. But they're all strangers to me when I meet them in the field, or on the autopsy table.
Today a neighbor was getting a new roof. I was teleworking getting some reports knocked out. The roofing crew started early morning and was still working insanely hard late afternoon. The homeowners were gone, not wanting to hear the noise all day, so I brought water and cookies and another male neighbor offered up his bathroom should they need it. No one spoke English but they all understood water and comfort and were very grateful.
Just before they were about an hour from being done for a day, the job site went totally silent. Then the ambulance, police, and fire engine showed up. One of the men, a cheerful middle aged Hispanic man, had fallen from the steep pitched two story roof onto cement. A neighbor that witnessed it said, "it looks like he has some bleeding from a cut on his head and badly hurt his back".
Then I watched him get loaded into the ambulance.
He was unconscious and his body and arms were positioned in the decorticate response posturing which indicates severe head trauma. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is usually combined with cervical spine (C-spine) injury. Once in the ambulance, they didn't move for over 10 minutes which means they were likely performing endotracheal intubation with adequate sedative or analgesics and a muscle relaxant to prevent an increase in intracranial pressure during that intubation in the TBI patient. Recovery from such an injury is unlikely.
Even sadder, the rest of the obviously traumatized crew had to keep working the job until dark, now short one man. The roofer's trucks were unmarked, no one spoke English and there were no OSHA safeguards in place for the roof work. If OSHA shows up to investigate tomorrow I'll be having a long chat with the investigator. I don't care where you were born or whether you are working on a green card or not. There are moments we are all simply human, deserving of safety and care.
I do not know his name but I will be praying for that kind, cheerful man and his family tonight.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteMe too... thank you "L"... the more prayers the better - as much for those who remain working, as you say. YAM xxx
We said a prayer
ReplyDelete:( We'll be thinking of that poor man.
ReplyDeleteThat is so sad. We had a new rood installed about five years ago, and our roof is so steep that the company had a hard time finding a crew willing to do it. We have great admiration for the roofing crews we see in our area - they are all non-English speaking as well. They work incredibly long hours and they work hard. Their wives/girlfriends bring them big hot meals at lunch time. More Americans should follow their lead for working so hard at jobs no one else wants. All paws crossed and many prayers for that worker.
ReplyDeleteWoos - Lightning and Misty
I live in a village that has a fairly high hispanic population. The work ethic is amazing.
DeleteLots of prayers being sent out for this gentleman, his family, and his colleagues.
ReplyDeleteSaying lots of prayers
ReplyDeletehugs
Hazel & Mabel
This is something I wish the news would cover more. These are likely undocumented workers being paid far under the union teams would make. And then to not provide adequate safely measures AND make a traumatized crew continue to work (under threat of no pay, I am sure) is inhumane.
ReplyDeleteLove Noodles
When you think how a simple harness could have helped... A life changed in a moment. So sad.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately too many of these roofing companies hire people down on their luck, pay them less than they should, and don't provide safety protections, knowing they won't speak up.
DeleteLifting him up in prayer from here.
ReplyDeleteKZK
Thank you the prayers made a huge difference in his recovery, I believe. He's local, the neighbors and I are going to get together to see about a fundraiser t help with bills.
DeleteI know what decorticate posturing is. It's a very serious sign, but I hope he'll be all right. What a terrible tragedy! We'll be thinking about him.
ReplyDeleteI got an email from the police chief (being a fed, I introduced myself when I moved here in case we had a case overlap). He said the man was talking by the time they got to the hospital with no more decoticate posturing. He has a fracture in a vertebrae and a serious concussion but should be OK in 2-3 months. Thanking the Lord - when I saw him I thought he would not make it.
DeleteSending prayers for his continuing recovery.
ReplyDeletexo Astro
our prayers will fly over the ocean to this man... and we hope, hope, hope for the best... such accidents often have hard consequences, so we cross our paws that this man will recover completely...
ReplyDelete