A stranger’s good deed reinforces the importance of First Aid and forges a new friendship

As a high school sports conditioning coach, Derek Virgo is accustomed to providing standard first aid to students, often being the first one called to treat injuries. He has always been a strong advocate of first aid training and even wanted to provide a training course for students at his school. Derek never expected he would be on the receiving end of first aid until he was involved in a serious bicycle accident.

Early in the morning on March 26, Derek was out on a bike ride in Uxbridge when he was struck by a vehicle. He was thrown from his bicycle and the driver of the vehicle fled the scene.

At the time of the accident, Ruthi was driving down the same road on her way to work. As she was driving, she thought she saw animal eyes off in the ditch. However, as she drove forward, she realized it was a red flashing light and immediately felt as if something was off. Just a month earlier, Ruthi was stopped on the side of this road when someone stopped to check in on her. With that in mind, instead of continuing her morning commute, Ruthi decided to turn back to investigate. 

When Ruthi arrived at the ditch, she saw Derek lying there bleeding. As a former street outreach who was trained in first aid, her instincts kicked in to help Derek.

“Are you okay, do you need help?” she recalls asking.  With only gloves, toilet paper and a blanket in the back of her car, Ruthi set out to provide as much care for Derek as she could after calling 9-1-1. She wrapped him in the blanket, used the toilet paper to try to stop the bleeding from his head injury and kept him still just in case he had a spinal injury.  Derek recalled feeling in those moments that he was going to be okay because this woman was willing to stop and help.

As they waited for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to arrive, Ruthi sat by Derek’s side and talked to keep him calm. “I felt anxious on the inside, but I made myself calm. I did everything I could to be calm for him," Ruthi said.

Recounting the accident, Derek felt that the ability of Ruthi to stay calm and provide help, made the biggest difference in terms of the outcome. “She did such a terrific job of taking care of me from the moment she called out…. When I think about first aid delivery, the most important thing other than applying first aid, is being calm. Ruthi’s ability to be that way while delivering emergency first aid is so attributable to my recovery”.

Derek was taken to hospital in an ambulance for treatment and recovery. While in recovery, all Derek could think about was how lucky he was that Ruthi had stopped. He thought she had done such a great job that she must have been a medical professional. “Ruthi is the guardian of my dreams. I don’t think about the panic or injury. I go to her and her voice.”

Derek has since undergone physical rehabilitation to recover from his injuries and Ruthi has received a Red Cross Rescuer Award for her efforts in helping Derek. The connection they made during the incident, has also created a strong friendship. “It’s a silver strand – you find something beautiful out of a horrible scenario,” said Derek.

When thinking back to the incident, both Ruthi and Derek reflected on the use of first aid and why it is important to be trained.

“It showed me that in the off chance that something happens, you want to have that knowledge,” Ruthi shared.

“You never know what situation you will find yourself in. The more people trained, the better,” said Derek.

The Canadian Red Cross is a leading provider of first aid and CPR programs and has been offering training to Canadians for over 75 years. Find more information on the training programs and registration.