RAPAID to the rescue – how our emergency bandage kit helped a London cabbie rush to a cyclist’s aid
For London taxi drivers, who pick up passengers from all across the city—North, East, South, and West—no two days are ever the same. But some are more memorable than others! As cabbies drive around the city in their iconic black cabs, many enjoy chatting to passengers or pointing out landmarks, but sometimes their shift is memorable for more serious reasons. One taxi driver with a RAPAID emergency bandage kit in his cab recently had a shift he won’t forget in a hurry, which involved coming to the aid of a cyclist who had sustained a serious injury – proving that placing the kits in cabs is a great way to ensure they’re always close at hand on the streets of the capital.
The incident took place when the London cabbie was driving through South London and witnessed a cyclist topple off their bike and into the road. The cyclist hit the ground hard, obtaining a serious open fracture and a wound that began to bleed profusely.
Responding instinctively, the taxi driver pulled over straight away, and rushed to hand his RAPAID kit to passers-by who had stopped to help the cyclist. The people who had stopped at the scene were not first aiders, but were able to unzip the RAPAID pack, put on the sterile gloves, and use the simple instructions in the kit, applying the pressure bar bandage to the cyclist’s wound. While this stemmed the blood loss, the pair ensured the cyclist was comfortable until trained help arrived.
Like so many of the cabbies who have agreed to carry a RAPAID kit in their cab and display RAPAID stickers to ensure people know the equipment is to hand, the taxi driver involved in this incident took up the opportunity to be part of our London cab roll out because he has seen previous incidents and been unable to help. On this occasion, just handing the pack to someone else was all he needed to do to come to the cyclist’s aid.
Comments Alex Chivers, co-founder of RAPAID, “As with any cab driver who deploys their kit, we have now replaced the emergency bandages for this taxi. We hope the driver will never need to use our bandages again, but if he does, he knows he can simply hand the kit to whoever is at the scene and be part of the emergency response.”
To date, RAPAID have successfully donated over 5,000 emergency bandage kits, installing kits in cabs in Manchester, Swindon, Oxford, Exeter and now London. With the support of TfL and the Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA), RAPAID has now surpassed 1000 London cabs equipped with emergency bandage kits, and now aim to equip 2,000 London cabs with its life-saving bandages by the end of 2023. To help them achieve this goal and support the important work they do, please consider making a donation today: