A women’s rugby team have been praised for saving a male’s life after a crash in Trowbridge.
Emergency services were called to a serious road traffic collision on a byway towards Whaddon Lane, near Trowbridge Rugby Club, at around 8.40pm on Wednesday 9 August.
When police arrived at the scene, members of the local women’s rugby team had started to provide emergency first aid – including to a male with a “catastrophic bleed to his arm”.
Improvising, they used boot laces and player’s shirts to create a makeshift tourniquet and stem the blood loss. He was later airlifted to Southmead Hospital by Wiltshire Air Ambulance.
Other team members provided first aid to three other people – two females and a second male – who were in the blue Mazda at the time of the smash, which saw the car overturn onto its side.
A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: “The Women’s Trowbridge Rugby team were training in the field adjacent to the road. They heard the RTC and have climbed through bushes and over a fence in order to investigate, discovering a single vehicle on its side.
“Within the vehicle were four passengers who as a result of the crash, had varying severity of injuries.Two female passengers were out of the car already and two males, the driver and front passenger still in the car.
“The degree of injuries was traumatic and life threatening- but what happened next has undoubtedly saved lives.
“PC 2578 Ben AGATE was first on scene where he was greeted by a mass of rugby players, 15 – 20 people providing lifesaving first aid. There were 4 casualties, one with a Cataphoric bleed to his arm. The team had organised themselves to triaged the casualties.
“They had made a makeshift tourniquet from their rugby boot laces and players shirts to try and stem the catastrophic bleed.
“There were other players supporting the heads of the 2 other casualties in case of spinal injuries and providing reassurance. As the incident developed, players were cutting off clothes and applying emergency bandages etc to the causalities helping out Police officers on scene before the ambulances arrived.
“They have also used foot mats, bits of carpet, a duvet and other items thrown from the crash or from the car to support the casualties so they weren’t led on the cold ground. They have also put spotters on the main road and on the Whaddon Lane to direct Emergency services.
“Once the ambulances arrived, the players remained, helping Ambulance transit kit to the scene, holding IV lines, torches and continuing their reassurance to the causalities, of which two of the casualties were just 16 years old.
“Without their assistance this could have very easily been a fatal. It was a fantastic effort by this rugby team in assisting. It was humbling seeing members of public coming together in order to help out fellow citizens. Thank you.”
