May 24, 2006. Summer has just announced its arrival, and the sun is shining over the agricultural landscape in Lier outside Drammen. Hans Kristian Jørgensen sits behind the wheel of his own car. He works as a paramedic in the ambulance service, but this day he has time off. Now he is on his way home to his best friend and brother, Hans Petter. Suddenly the cell phone rings. It’s his mother, and she’s worried. She wonders if he has seen his little brother, Hans Petter. He was supposed to visit his mother, but has not shown up. Hans Kristian suddenly becomes aware of a figure lying in the roadway. The leather jacket that changed everything He sees that a motorcycle has overturned, and realizes that there has been a serious accident. Then he sees something that will change everything. The figure in the roadway is wearing a light brown and yellow leather jacket that he recognizes. Out of the car he gets a better overview. It quickly becomes clear what has happened. His 27-year-old brother, Hans Petter Jørgensen, has ridden a deer. Then it has only been days since he received the note on a large motorcycle. Back at the scene of the accident. Hans Kristian Jørgensen was the first man at the scene when his own brother ended up in a motorcycle accident. Photo: Vilde Jagland / news Serious injuries Hans Kristian gets his helmet off, and makes sure he can breathe. He is surprised by his own reaction to what he is witnessing. – I am extremely focused and calm, and go straight into work mode. It is his own colleagues from the ambulance service in Drammen who eventually take over at the accident site. Hans Kristian helps as best he can. He understands that his brother has suffered serious head injuries, despite witnesses saying he kept a very low speed when the accident happened. Then he feels his brother’s hand close around his own. The great fear They are specialists in saving lives and have to deal with everything from serious accidents to fatal illness. But what happens when they completely unprepared meet close family or friends, who need their help to survive? After the accident, Hans Kristian makes a choice. He can not bear the thought of being exposed to something similar again. – Being sent out to one of your near and dear ones is something I do not want to experience again. The chances of ending up in that situation are less if I work in another municipality. That’s why I started working in Oslo. Hans Kristian’s story is not unique, and several are in the same dilemma as him. Section leader Gjermund Christiansen in the Drammen region’s fire service. Photo: Vilde Jagland / news – A load At the fire station in Drammen, Gjermund Christiansen nods in recognition. He is the leader of part-time firefighters in the rural areas. Several of his colleagues have rushed out to help neighbors, friends and family members affected by fire, cardiac arrest or accidents. Often they have no choice, even though they know they are going to move out to one of theirs. – They must expect to meet people they know when they are out on assignments. It is a burden, Christiansen says. There have been many hours of debriefing and support for colleagues who have experienced what they fear most. – It is worst for those who work in smaller places where “everyone knows everyone”, says leader of the Ambulance Association Ola Yttre. He confirms that many in his industry choose to change jobs. – I myself have chosen not to work in my own home municipality, precisely to avoid having to move out to friends or family, he says. Leader of the Ambulance Association Ola Yttre. Photo: GEIR OLAV SLÅEN / news Life-threatening injuries Back at the accident site, an ambulance helicopter takes off towards Ullevål hospital. Hans Kristian is left alone at the roadside, together with a deer hit and a broken motorcycle. – Usually it’s me who drives off with the patient, but this time I am left completely alone. Everything stops completely, and it becomes completely quiet. Hans Kristian picks up the phone and calls the last number he was called from. He has to take the heavy call. – Mom did not think it was so serious, because I was so calm. At the hospital, it gradually becomes clear that the head injuries are life-threatening. There is little doctors can do. Hans Petter Jørgensen was only 27 years old. Photo: Private Farewell The brother hovers between life and death for several days. – I hold his hand throughout the night. We listen to old songs from a CD player I was allowed to bring. The tones from U2 and the song “One” break the silence in the small room. Then Hans Petter’s body can no longer bear it. – I understand that it is coming to an end, and feel an inner peace. The next morning it becomes clear that the time has come. The small family says goodbye to a son and a brother. Eight days after the accident, Hans Petter Jørgensen dies, only 27 years old. Hans Kristian decides to take care of his dead brother. – I was very scared, but in retrospect I am very happy that I participated in the whole process. Hans Kristian Jørgensen lost his brother and best friend. Photo: Vilde Jagland / news Will help relatives In the time after the accident, Hans Kristian has an important goal. He will become a paramedic on a motorcycle in the capital. – Hans Petter and I shared an interest in motorcycles. It was he who wanted me to apply for the job. It became very important for me to reach that goal. And I did it. Since then, he has worked for ten years as a lifeguard on two wheels. Today, Hans Kristian is head of operations for health in Oslo and Akershus, an area with 1.4 million inhabitants. He has participated in the rescue work during a number of major dramatic events in recent years. During the landslide in Gjerdrum, he was one of the very first on the site. Now he uses his own experiences to help relatives in similar situations. Photo: Vilde Jagland / news – When you lose someone, you have two choices. You can focus on the sad, or on how lucky you have been to have spent time with the one who disappeared. – I had 27 good years with Hans Petter, and I am convinced that we will meet again. I tell my story to keep the memory of him alive. Hi! Do you have any input or tips after reading this case? Feel free to send me an email.
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Ambulance workers fear meeting family and acquaintances in accidents – Oslo and Viken
