The BHN Experience...

The events of yesterday remind me of another such experience when I felt a good deal of pressure. The story goes back to the days when I was working with L&T.
We were on a hydro testing mission of newly installed oil and gas pipelines. Taking the ship from Platform to platform, we were carrying out testing one after the other.

We were at BHN.... yes... the same one that was destroyed during this rainy season. During the course of testing we had left some material at previous places of testing. So I got down to BHN along with some crew members to carry out the preparatory work for testing. And the ship left to collect that material from other platforms. We knew it would take long before the ship returns so we had adequate food provisions with us too.

We had finished work at the lowermost deck. (it is lust 3-4 meters above sea level...tyaala spider deck ki sailor deck ase kahitari naav asate... aata aathavat nahi...). we were just roaming around and chatting while we were waiting for the ship to come back. One of the crew members was a fat man. At one place the grating was badly corroded. And he happened to put his foot there (oh lord Murphy...).

The grating gave away and he was laying there with one foot gone inside. We pulled him up. His testicles were badly hit. So to ease his pain we carried out the basic exercises like making him bend.... and all. After some time he felt good and we were back to chatting.

After around an hour he was in severe pain. And it was becoming unbearable. Now we were at the lowest level. The only way to go upper decks where we could take help from ONGC doctors was either to go upstairs and call them or to take the man upstairs. I was not feeling like leaving him and going upstairs to search the doctor. It would have been late. And the man was certainly not in a position to go upstairs.

I was the in charge of the crew and onus was on me to decide the further course. I went to the barge of some other company that was working there too for some other project. I met the doctor there and asked for help. He agreed and so we took the injured man to that barge. The doctor him some medicines and tea and asked to rest for some time on the barge. But the pain was not easing and to our horror we found that his testicles were growing in size.

Now the doctor was under pressure. He was afraid that the man would certainly die. He did not wanted him to die him on the barge and then get involved in further inquiries. So he asked me to move him from the barge immediately.

Now there was nowhere to go....
It was not possible to take him up in the BHN complex..... Our ship was at least 2 hours away.... and the only available shelter...this barge was not allowing to stay.
I thought for a min. about what to do then I went to the radio room of the barge and called the BHN control room asking for medical evacuation chopper.

Thankfully the barge had a helipad. I still remember the time.... after completion of all formalities the chopper left at 4 55 pm. I then called my boss in Powai on radio and informed him about the accident. He immediately went to Juhu aerodrome to take care of further things.

Later that night we came to know that he was admitted to Nanavati Hospital where the operation had begun at 6 00 pm. His life was saved.
A delay of an hour... and he would have been dead....