Schoolgirl, 14, helps boy whose leg was crushed by a bus while live-streaming to ambulance crew

A teenage fire cadet has been praised for her ‘quick-thinking and maturity’ after giving first aid to a boy whose leg had been crushed by a bus, while using her phone to live-stream footage of his injuries to ambulance crews. 

Karla Fish ran to help when she heard the screams of a 12-year-old boy from her school who had fallen beneath the bus.

The 14-year-old called the emergency services and used her gym shirt to apply pressure to his leg wound, while a passer-by used the boy’s own school tie to stem the flow of blood.

Karla Fish, 14, has been praised for her quick-thinking in helping a boy crushed by a bus

Karla also activated a connection between her phone and the Great North Air Ambulance, so they could see how serious the situation was.

The incident happened in Consett, County Durham, as the children were on their way home from St Bede’s Catholic School & Sixth Form College in Lanchester, County Durham, at around 3.40pm on Tuesday.

Karla said: ‘After we got off the bus we heard him screaming. He said he had been hit by the bus. It turned out that his leg had been run over, so I called the ambulance.

‘I put my PE shirt over to stop the blood coming out of his leg. It was hard, because it was fractured as well.

‘I used my phone to create a live stream to show the paramedics what was happening. It was like a video they could see. They sent me a link that I had to click on so they could access my camera and see exactly what I could see.

‘It was like an open wound and it was bleeding a lot. He was screaming and was in a lot of pain.’

The fire cadet used a gym shirt and tie to help stem the boy's injuries before help arrived

The fire cadet used a gym shirt and tie to help stem the boy’s injuries before help arrived

The injured boy was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and has since undergone operations on his leg.

It is understood the driver, who was unaware there had been an incident, returned to the scene to speak to police when he was contacted.

Karla is a fire cadet with County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue and has also learned lifeguard skills in previous years.

She has been widely praised for the cool and calm way she took control of the situation.

Karla said: ‘I don’t think I have done anything extraordinary. I have done what anyone would do. It was just common sense.’

North East Ambulance Service call handler Terri-Anne Maine, who answered the 999 call, said it could have been life-threatening.

She said: ‘The caller was really mature and calm throughout the incident and several other school students all worked together to provide the patient first aid, until our ambulance crew arrived.

‘In situations like these, correct first aid training can mean all the difference to the outcome for patients.

‘In this particular incident, the amount of blood loss could have turned into a life-threatening situation for the patient, but the 999 caller listened to me really well when I told her to apply pressure to the wound to stem the blood flow.

‘Correct first aid training is really important and everyone should be taught the basics.

‘She should be very proud of herself and her fellow pupils for the maturity and quick-thinking they showed.’

The injured boy underwent operations on his leg at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle

The injured boy underwent operations on his leg at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle

Consett Fire Cadet instructor and firefighter Stephen Hodgson, said: ‘It is clear that the first aid training Karla acquired through being a member of the fire cadets at Consett has provided her with the knowledge and confidence to do what she did.

‘Here at Consett, all of the young Fire Cadets’ instructors are extremely proud of Karla and she has proven what a credit to the service she really is.’

Durham Constabulary is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident and has appealed for anyone with information of dash-cam footage to come forward.

A force spokesman said: ‘This was a nasty accident and a distressing situation, not just for the boy who was injured, but for all those young people who witnessed it.

‘Karla has kept a cool head and has done everything possible to keep the victim comfortable until emergency services reached the scene.

‘She deserves enormous credit for her quick-thinking and calm handling of the incident.’

Neville Harrison, headteacher at St Bede’s, added: ‘To stay so calm in what was a very, very difficult situation deserves so much praise for being a wonderful human being.

‘It is ironic that the theme this week for St Bede’s School community has been about the Good Samaritan and here we have our very own real life Good Samaritan.’

 

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk