Bus Crash Scene
Yesterday there was a bus crash in Colusa, CA with many injured patients and several fatalities. This happened just on the heels of a horrible train crash in Southern California that killed 26 people and injured dozens. Many people wonder how emergency rooms deal with a situation where suddenly there are many victims from an incident like this. I can tell you, it’s not easy.
California manages trauma through a network of “trauma centers.” These are essentially hospitals which have the capacity and ability to manage complex trauma victims. These hospitals must have surgeons that are readily available, immediate access to the operating room, and a host of other resources. But when there is a big accident, any single trauma center will be stretched beyond its capacity very quickly. Typically, a “Multi-Casualty Incident” is declared by regional trauma authorities and patients are then distributed to several hospitals. Hospitals are notified of the event and then quickly determine what capacity they have for patient care. In the case of the Colusa bus crash, patients were sent to 7 regional hospitals. In general, events such as a bus crash can be dealt with efficiently and effectively by California’s trauma system. However, the emergency medical system is stretched, and trauma specialists are concerned about our ability to respond to catastrophic natural disasters such as large earthquakes, or acts of terrorism. For more information, visit www.emsa.ca.gov.
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