The Angel

It is the first week of November 2021. The time is about 6 PM and darkness is in the process of engulfing the surroundings. Being Deepawali eve, there is heavy traffic on the road leading to Anandpur Sahib from Ropar. It appears as almost everyone is rushing to meet their dear ones.

My colleague Gurdip was on the way to his village near Anandpur Sahib riding motorcycle. He had planned to celebrate Deepawali with his family and everyone was looking for his arrival any moment. He was about to approach Ghanauli that is about 11 km from Ropar. Suddenly, a speeding Bolero while overtaking him, came too close to his left side and before he could react, Bolero’s rear wheel grazed through the front wheel of the bike. He lost balance in the process and skidded along with the motorcycle a long way before hitting the divider. The Bolero driver sped away without bothering about his condition.

Vehicles kept on moving close by as he laid beside the divider and the bike a little away. He was conscious but in terrible pain and shocked at the daredevilry and recklessness of the Bolero driver. He could see four-five people standing at the berm looking at him in dwindling light. But non came forward for his rescue as they considered him dead and were scared. After the initial trauma subsided, he tried to get up but could not as both the shafts of his right leg shin bone had completely broken. The right leg had got entangled with the bike and resulted in the fractures.

Feeling helpless, he cried for help and a few onlookers gathered courage to approach him. They called for ambulance but no help arrived even after the lapse of 20-25 minutes. Meanwhile, considerable amount of blood loss had taken place and he started feeling dizzy. In the meantime, a doctor who was traveling with his family in car to his native place in Himachal, saw the crowd and stopped to enquire about the matter. The doctor examined his condition and asked the bystanders to get some branches quickly from nearby trees. He used the stems of the branches to provide support to the broken limb and wrapped it with the material available. The first aid given by the doctor provided the vital support to the broken leg and considerably reduced the bleeding. After finishing the job and giving necessary instructions, he left for his onward journey.

The ambulance reached at the spot after 40-45 minutes and took him to Government hospital, Ropar. He was given the required first aid and referred to a specialty hospital for further treatment as the procedure required surgeries.

Gurdip recovered fully almost after three months and resumed his daily activities with vigour. It was almost a new birth for him. Thanks, and hats off to the noble soul who took the pain to stop amidst the mad rush and provided the critical first aid.