"I'm fine, but there was an accident right in front of me. I have to go help." I hung up the phone and ran up the sidewalk.
I scanned the people on the sidewalk. Most had leapt out of the way. A few had fallen but had only bumps and bruises. One woman was crying and holding her ankle.
"I know first aid," I said, "Don't move. I'll be right back to help."
Steam pumped up from the black sedan's hood where it wrapped around the lamp post. Inside, the air bags were just deflating. I could see there was only one person in the car. The young man driving was thrown back in his seat, his eyes closed. I yanked on the driver's side door and pounded on the glass when I saw it was locked.
"Sir? Sir? Can you unlock your door? You need help and I know first aid," I called through the glass.
His eyes fluttered and finally opened. With a bleary look, he fumbled for the lock switch and then closed his eyes again. As I pulled open the door, I heard his groan of pain.
"Don't move. It looks like you may have broken your right arm, but I'm going to take care of that cut on your forehead first, if that’s okay with you." I pulled a pack of tissues from my purse and blotted the blood from his face.
He waved my hands away. "I'm fine. I'm fine. I didn't hit anyone, did I?" He struggled to get out of the car.
"You are not fine and if you feel fine, then it’s only the shock talking. I hear sirens, help is on the way. Until they get here, you are going to stay still and let me help you," I said.
He refused and got out of the car. I spied a long scarf on the passenger seat and grabbed it before I caught him and forced him to stop wandering down the hot sidewalk.
"If you insist on moving around, I'm going to have to put your arm in a sling," I said.
"That's my mother's scarf," he said.
"Then she won't mind." I threw it over his shoulder and tucked his injured arm inside. Immobilizing his arm was the only way to keep the break from getting worse. Then, I pressed a wad of clean tissues against the cut on his forehead. I brought his uninjured hand up to hold it in place. "A woman over there hurt her ankle. Everyone else is fine. You're going to stay still while I go help her."
He winced but nodded. I ran over to a free newspaper machine and grabbed a few copies. Rolling them up created a splint that would keep her ankle stable until she could be transported to an emergency room. I used three hairbands the woman handed me to secure the splint in place.
"Nice work," a voice said behind me.
I looked up to see an EMT in a dark blue uniform. "Sorry. I know the traffic on The Strip can delay you guys, so I thought I would try to help."
"And you did. That splint will hold, so it’s better if we don't touch it. You'll be fine, ma'am, your hero did a great job. How's the driver?" the EMT asked.
"His arm is broken, so I secured it in a sling. He's in shock and keeps trying to walk away. There's also a cut on his forehead, but it seems superficial. The bleeding is already slowing," I said. "I am, I mean, I was, a nursing student."
"Doesn't matter about your training," the EMT said. "You've got good instincts and that's what matters out here. I've seen the best surgeons in the world choke when it comes to accidents. It takes a certain kind of person to be able to jump in, assess, and then help people."
"It didn't feel like a choice," I admitted. "I just did it."
"Like I said, instincts." The EMT smiled at me. "Maybe you should consider a change of career."
I heard his words over and over again as I waited at the scene. The police arrived seconds later and asked me to explain the accident. I described the car with the Iowa plates. It had driven off as soon as the black sedan crashed. The pedestrians all agreed with me that the driver of the black sedan was only trying to prevent a worse accident by swerving off the road.
After I was done, an older couple was waiting to talk to me. The officers introduced them as the driver's parents.
"He was coming to pick us up so we did not have to walk in the heat," his mother said. There was a heavy catch in her voice. "He could have been killed."
"Your son is a smart man, he was wearing his seat belt," I said.
"Even so, he got hurt," she said. "Thank God you kept such a clear head. Everyone said you jumped in right away. We wanted to say thank you."
They insisted that I come with them to the ambulance where their son was waiting to go to the hospital and have his broken arm set. He smiled when he saw me.
"You were right, my mother did not care that you used her scarf," he said.
"Oh, Evan, don't be silly," the older woman said. She swatted his foot as he sat on the gurney in the ambulance.
"Thank you," Evan said. "You saved me."