A PRIMARY school pupil who came across the scene of a serious road accident was forced to jump into action and administer potentially lifesaving first aid - as she was taking her usual walk to school.
Luckily 11-year-old Taylor Elsworth, a member of Barnsley sea cadets, knew exactly what to do as she used her first aid training to successfully help a young man who had been knocked off his bike by a car, and call the emergency services.
“She was walking to school and came across a road traffic collision,” said mum Leanne, 36, from Broomroyd in Worsbrough.
“A young lad had been knocked off his bike by a car and was quite badly hurt.
“Taylor didn’t hesitate, she went straight to the young lad and asked if he was injured, kept him calm and told him not to move.”
The collision between a car and cyclist occurred on Vernon Road at around 8.30am on January 24.
Taylor had been taught the LIONEL method of first aid with the cadets - and the incident was the first time she has had to put it into action.
LIONEL teaches practitioners how to make clear and precise phone calls to emergency services the acronym stands for location, details of the incident, other services required, number of casualties, extent of injuries and confirmation of location.
This would be a lot for most people to remember in the heat of the moment, but Taylor, a year six pupil at Ward Green Primary School, kept calm, getting the attention of a passing motorist whose phone she could use to make the call.
Once the emergency services had arrived on the scene, Taylor carried on and made her way to school.
“She was a little bit shocked by what went off and worried she did everything right,” said Leanne, who is also an instructor with the sea cadets.
“Everybody at school said she was a hero, but she just didn’t think she’d done anything special.
“She’d just like to know if the lad is all right.
“I’m very proud, and it’s amazing she’s put what she’s learned into action. That’s why we teach them what we do. I really believe first aid should be on the curriculum, you never know when it will come in handy.”
Taylor has been a sea cadet for 14 months, following in the footsteps of 13-year-old sister Keya. She has progressed to leading junior cadet, and also plays bugle and cornet in the band.
“All the cadets are cracking young adults,” Leanne said. “It gives them a focus and teaches them life skills, the qualifications it gives them access to are amazing. Taylor loves doing anything and everything.
“The LIONEL system is one thing I really drill into them. For any kid in that situation it would be pretty harrowing, but it means if you had a serious injury they would be able to keep calm and prevent it getting any worse.”
