16 August 2023 , 14:40
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A women’s rugby team have been praised for “undoubtedly saving lives” after a car crashed near their training pitch.
Trowbridge Rugby Club Women were finishing a training session in the field adjacent to the road when they heard the vehicle crash at about 8.40pm on August 9. The team crawled through bushes of stinging nettles and over a barbed wire fence to investigate, finding the car on its side and four passengers – two aged 16 – injured.
Two women had managed to escape the vehicle but two men, the driver and front passenger, were still inside. Wiltshire Police said: “The degree of injuries was traumatic and life threatening – but what happened next has undoubtedly saved lives.”
The force said Pc Ben Agate arrived on the scene to find up to 20 people providing life-saving first aid, with the team having triaged the casualties – including one with a “catastrophic bleed” to his arm. “They had made a makeshift tourniquet from their rugby boot laces and players’ shirts to try and stem the catastrophic bleed,” police said.
“There were other players supporting the heads of the two other casualties in case of spinal injuries and providing reassurance. As the incident developed, players were cutting off clothes and applying emergency bandages etc to the casualties, helping out police officers on scene before the ambulances arrived.
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“They have also used foot mats, bits of carpet, a duvet and other items thrown from the crash or from the car to support the casualties so they weren’t laid on the cold ground.” Two players went to the end of the lane to stop traffic and to direct emergency services to the patients.
After paramedics arrived on the scene, the players helped move kit to the scene, held intravenous (IV) lines and torches and continued to reassure the casualties. The force added: “Without their assistance this could have very easily been a fatal. It was a fantastic effort by this rugby team in assisting.
“It was humbling seeing members of the public coming together in order to help out fellow citizens.” In a post on Facebook, the Trowbridge Rugby Club Women described how the team climbed over a barbed wire fence and crawled through bushes of stinging nettles to provide first aid. The team wished all four people involved a speedy recovery. It added: “To the women involved, the bravery and teamwork you showed was amazing. Not all heroes wear capes. They also wear rugby shirts.”