Semiconscious accident victim

The “blood’ was mostly dry by the time this photo was taken, not least because I’d been “semiconscious” for nearly an hour after the “car crash”.

Tonight some of the Scouts and leaders in our troop were accident victims for someone else’s first aid course. We’d all been briefed about our injuries and the kinds of symptoms and reactions we were supposed to display. My role was to drift on the edge of consciousness, and I realised that I got into character so much that I hardly noticed anything else that went on (including the fact that one of my fellow Scout leaders, as part of her role, was being quite hysterical and an extreme hindrance!). I decided to add the symptoms of shock — which seemed an appropriate addition — but this didn’t require too much effort because it was pretty cold outside and I started shivering anyway … and then I got a curious attack of numb shakes that wasn’t acting at all (probably a combination of the cold and a bit of an adrenaline rush from concentrating on staying in character).

Anyway, the kids learned quite a bit from being victims, and apparently we did a good job for the benefit of those in training who were responding to the scenario (trying to deal with seven victims in a car crash, with the car catching fire partway through the session!).

And, to my relief, I managed to get rid of the blood when I got home.