Injured at an event

[BeyondInjured]

NC as this is massively outing. I've mentioned it under my normal posting name, so if anyone has seen it could you just not mention it here? :)

I am disabled and use a wheelchair, and i recently attended a music festival. Onsite there was a pathway which dropped down a kerb, the kerb wasnt lowered and there was no ramp. Whilst attempting to (carefully!) get down the bump, my chair tipped, i fell and hit my head, knocking myself out.

One of the onsite private ambulances was called, i came to when they arrived but was not properly aware until arrival at the medical tent, and that bit is very hazy. I remember them unsplitting the backboard to put me on the bed, i had no neck brace on. My sat o2 had dropped to low 70s so they gave me oxygen and at some point dh arrived (having been left with my chair while they took me alone)
They checked my head by feel a few times, and once my o2 was higher they kept me for an hours observation. As far as i remember noone checked my neck, and they also missed that i had wet myself. During this time they were dealing with people who had drunk too much.
After the hour i was sent back to my tent.

In pain all weekend then, but assume it is leftover aches because of the jolt and leave it.
When i got home i was still getting worse so saw my doctor, who confirmed i have whiplash from the bump, made more likely to happen by my disability. (Before going I asked for a copy of the accident report/paperwork to give to my doctor, i am still waiting...)

So, i know i need to complain, but have no idea where to start, and often feel i am being melodramatic about it. I am autistic and dont trust my own reactions.

My main points

• that there should be a dropped kerb
• that they should have noticed that someone who had lost consciousness had wet themselves (afaik its an important sign of potential problems?), and should have been more aware of potential neck injuries
• that if they are unable to deal with complications of a disability related injury, they should refer to proper a&e. If they dont know anything about the disability, dont try to bodge it.
• that a copy of paperwork should be given at th time (iirc it would be with an accident report?)

I think thats everything?

Can you help me make sense of it so i can ensure noone is put at risk next year?
Thank you :)

Who knows but I'm going to leave this here, I've got plans tonight and no intention of spending it here, talking incidentals and maybes with you. I wasn't there and op has drip fed a few important details so I'm not being drawn on anything else.
Op, I hope your recovery is speedy and you get the reply you want from your complaint.

Powered chair or not, there should be a ramp to make the site accessible to people in chairs.

Being bumped down a kerb in a non powered chair is bloody painful at times, even when the person doing it has had loads of practice.

They were discussing how to make festivals accessible 20+ years ago when I was involved in security for them, although I am not surprised nothing has been done about it even now.

I hope you get things sorted for next year Beyond.

Only on Mumsnet would you get screeched at for suggesting that the dh standing right beside you could have helped you out in any way, instead of hanging about like a wet lettuce.

flogging did you totally fail to understand that it's the principle that the disabled people should not have to rely on having someone with them to safely get down a kerb?

OP the four points you want to raise with them seem totally fair to me. I'm a bit unclear on the hospital, it sounds like they wanted you to go and you didn't? But the main points are correct. Write to the main organiser, it's their responsibility to pass it on if needs be.

God there some absolute fucking arseholes on this site. How very entitled of a disabled person to expect safe access at an event. Wonder if any of the idiots posting here have actually tried to push a fully grown adult in a wheelchair (motorised or not) up and down a kerb. Only on MN would you get told its unreasonable to expect accessibility at an event.

Am so tired of the disabilist shit that gets posted on here but hey won't hold my breath waiting for MNHQ to address it tis the disabled persons job to educate the masses.

Problem with festival doctors is that the festivals advertise for doctors and (maybe some rather than all) will take any doctor. So the doctor could literally be someone who qualified from med school 4 weeks previosLy/never worked in a&e,,,,, but fancies a bit of cash in hand for a weekend of work combined with free festival entry. It's unlikely that there's any guidelines/protocols.

I almost think festivals would be better off employing St John Ambulance because then there isn't the false reassurance of "ive seen a Dr therefore I must be ok and don't need to go to a&e". Maybe St john ambulance charge more?

Monkey - thread in site stuff. If you're not there join us. We're going zero tolerance

Only on Mumsnet would you get screeched at for suggesting that the dh standing right beside you could have helped you out in any way, instead of hanging about like a wet lettuce.
You have TOTALLY missed the point and now you have insulted the OP's DH!
The organisers should have planned to have a site that was fully accessible to wheelchair users - they failed to do that.

DH was there but not stood right next to me (either generally or 'like a wet lettuce')

Thank you for all of the more understanding posts here.

And yes simon, i think knowing it was a doctor did provide false reassurance and that (along with it being the middle of the night - oh sorry, is that drip feeding again ) was why dh didnt insist on a&e

Thanks bishop will wander over to site stuff

Flogging, no one has screeched at anyone for anything.

Sorry being called out for being ablist made you so defensive. Maybe you could be a not wet lettuce and lift a powered chair down an undropped kerb and show OPs DH how it's done, eh?

I'm offering me in my chair if you like for that very purpose?