How Rapaid Emergency Bandages helped a London cabbie save a woman’s life
As we go about our daily lives, doing our jobs or running errands, there’s always a possibility that we could encounter an emergency, where our actions could help save a life. In July 2023, this possibility became a reality for Douglas, a London taxi driver who used his on-board RAPAID kit to help a seriously wounded pedestrian.
It was just before 6pm on Friday 21st July when Douglas witnessed a collision between a woman and an oncoming vehicle outside a hotel in West London. The pedestrian was knocked to the ground, sustaining an impact to her head and suffering serious injuries and blood loss. Douglas immediately grabbed his RAPAID bandage bag from his cab and ran over to assist.
With support from other bystanders, the cabbie applied the pressure bar bandage to the victim’s head, using the sterile gloves contained in the RAPAID kit to avoid contaminating her wounds. Once he had stemmed the blood loss, Douglas then placed the bandage bag under the woman’s head to provide comfort and support until an ambulance arrived on the scene.
Taxi drivers like Douglas are a consistent, often comforting presence in our communities. They are there at all hours, day and night, which means that there’s always one not too far away when accidents such as this happen. By carrying RAPAID’s emergency bandage kits on board, black cab drivers are making our communities safer, keeping life-saving equipment at the public’s fingertips and allowing bystanders to become vital first responders.
To date, RAPAID have successfully donated over 5,000 emergency bandage kits, installing kits in cabs in Manchester, Swindon, Oxford and now London. With the support of TfL and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), the charity aims to equip 2,000 London cabs with its life-saving bandages by Christmas. To help them achieve this goal and support the important work they do, please consider making a donation today: