Depiction of a head injury during accident on a work trip.
Due to the nature of their employment, sales professionals are at a significant risk of accidents. They travel far and wide, utilising a variety of forms of transportation, and are continuously on the go. Unfortunately, even when measures are taken, accidents can still happen.
The Accident:
I faced this firsthand when touring the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh for a week. I was unexpectedly struck by a powerful force on the morning of February 8th, 2017, as I crossed the main road heading towards the Pathankot bus stop, which caused me to pass out.
I was surrounded by anxious individuals when I came to consciousness after a brief passout. Â One of them was a young man, around 24 or 25 years old. While others questioned me nonstop, this young man was making an effort to make me feel at ease by bringing me water to drink. My official bag and trolley bag were placed on one side of the raised wall of a closed business shop as I was brought to the side of the main road. My official leather bag was unharmed; however, my trolley bag had been shredded in a circular motion, with fibres dangling from all sides.
I saw a non-stop stream of blood dripping from the right side of my temporal region of the head. The people surrounding me pointed out to me a large puddle of fresh blood about seven to eight feet away from the roadside where I had been hauled. I had been lying there for a while, they said, and as I was not moving, they picked me up and carried me to the side of the road.
I started to take notice of my surroundings and saw that my newly acquired iPhone 6, for which I was still making monthly payments on an EMI, was missing. The contact information for my Pathankot colleague or coworker, with whom I had worked the day before and who might have been of immense assistance to me in that scenario, slipped my mind. Unfortunately, my lost cell phone still had all of the contact information. My wife’s cellphone number was the only one I could recall, so I requested the young man who was assisting me to call it and put me through to my wife.
I also discovered that I had been struck by a motorbike being ridden at a high rate of speed by a 20-year-old boy in the morning. The poor boy sobbed and pleaded with me to forgive him, but another guy related how my trolley bag had protected me by deflecting the force of the bike’s front wheel and preventing it from doing even more serious injury.
Getting Help:
My head injuries and ongoing bleeding were all part of the scenario I told my wife once we eventually made contact. She supplied it to me right away when I requested my zone manager’s mobile number in Punjab and Himachal,which she was also having with her. I spoke with my zonal manager, who in turn got in touch with the appropriate parties in the cities I was travelling to—Pathankot and Dharamsala.
Thankfully, after exactly half an hour, a senior sales officer named Mr. Harsh Dhawan arrived and took me to a specialist surgeon in the town. The surgeon checked my eyes and head injury spot, and did an immediate temporary head bandage. He advised that I be taken to the trauma center in Pathankot, where a competent trauma expert could examine me in detail. The impact of the accident was so severe that my head hit the ground, causing me to lose consciousness. I was later told that I had a large cut on my head and was bleeding profusely.
Immediate Treatment:
At the Trauma Center, the specialist checked me and advised me that the cut on my head was enormous and required stitches. After local anesthesia, stitches were applied to my head, and I was kept under observation for two hours to ensure I didn’t experience any vomiting or nauseating feelings. The doctor had also advised a CAT scan of the head, which unfortunately could not be done immediately since the town of Pathankot was a smaller one and such facilities were not found there.
Support from colleagues:
I was held under surveillance for a few hours. There was no vomiting or any negative effects during this period.During my stay at the Trauma Center, my other colleague, Mr.Satish Sharma, came all the way from Dharamsala, the place where I was going in the morning at the time of the accident. My colleagues stayed with me at the trauma centre for these two to three hours to take care of me. Meanwhile, they had gotten in touch with my Bangalore head office and informed them of the situation. My seniors called to check on me and inquire about my well-being. Both of my colleagues truly went above and beyond, for which I will always be grateful.
Returning Home:
After the observation period, I was discharged, and Harsh arranged for my immediate reservation on an express train going to Delhi in the afternoon. Both Harsh and Mr. Satish Sharma accompanied me to the railway station to ensure I was comfortably settled in my coach. Harsh even gave me one of the mobile sets along with the temporary SIM arranged so that I was in touch with him during the travel since I had lost my iPhone in the accident. Finally, I reached Delhi late in the night very comfortably, and all along the way, Harsh was in constant touch to know about my welfare. My wife and children had come to the station to receive me, and they were astonished to see me with my head fully bandaged, which was not a good sight, at least for my family members.
The very next day, I was taken to our surgeon specialist, where I underwent a CAT scan of the head. Fortunately, the inner structures were safe, and no damage was noticed by our doctor. Still, he advised me to keep the head bandaged for at least a week’s time until the stitches were removed.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, being a sales professional is a risky profession, and accidents can happen even when you take all necessary precautions. The key is to remain calm and take quick action to contact your colleagues and loved ones in case of an emergency. It is essential to carry necessary documents and emergency contact numbers on paper or a separate device, especially when traveling to unfamiliar or smaller places.