Kayla Zur
IsraelSeen Exclusive – Treating Injuries of the Body and Mind
It was 8:00 p.m. and volunteer EMT and professional doula Kayla Tzur was relaxing at home when United Hatzalah’s Dispatch and Command Center alerted her to a motorcycle accident that took place in her vicinity. She was one of the closest responders to the scene. Immediately, Kayla grabbed her bike helmet and rushed out of her house, shouting a hurried goodbye to her husband. She then bolted from the apartment and jumped onto her E-bike. She flicked on her lights and raced to the accident site, arriving there in under a minute.
The accident had taken place on George Washington Street in Rehavia. A woman was driving a car and did not see a motorcycle that was racing toward her on an adjacent street. The car made a turn at the corner and smashed into the motorcycle sending the motorcycle driver flying a few feet from his vehicle in the opposite direction.
The 30-year-old victim was lying on the ground, his dented helmet already off of his head and lying in front of him on the street. The man was fully conscious but had sustained numerous injuries to his limbs and torso. He was in severe pain. Wincing at the pain he could do little more than groan. Kayla looked over his injuries and noted that he had suffered a broken hand and leg. The leg was bent out of the socket and blood was seeping through his ripped jeans. Suspecting an open break, Kayla wasted no time in skillfully staunching the bleeding and bandaging his wounds. Next, she opened the motorcyclist’s jacket and used trauma bandages to wrap the severe injuries across his torso. She splinted his limbs and then looked up to see the first ambulance arrive. She gave the medical crew the patient’s assessment and assisted them in very carefully loading the victim inside the ambulance so as not to aggravate his injuries. The man was transported to the closest trauma center for further treatment. Kayla then turned her attention to the distraught driver.
Other EMS personnel at the scene had arrived and began caring for the woman who was badly shaken up by the accident. The motorist, a middle-aged woman, was not able to control her trembling for fear that she had killed the motorcyclist. Kayla, who is a part of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit in addition to her EMS duties, knew that her presence as another woman would go far towards helping the terrified motorist. Kayla approached her and began calming her via simple breathing techniques which she has used many times as a psychotrauma responder as well as in her practice as a doula. Kayla assured the driver, over and over that she was not alone and that the man she hit was stable and already on his way to the hospital to receive the best care he could get. Kayla sat with the woman, fastidiously monitoring her vitals until the second ambulance arrived and transported the still shaken driver to a nearby hospital for further observation and emotional stabilization.
In situations like this where time is of the essence, Kayla is able to arrive at emergencies in her vicinity at the fastest speed possible due to her electric first response emergency bicycle. Providing treatment in the first few minutes can make all the difference in the world.
