Went out to WISP for a skiing day trip today. Had $2 lift ticket vouchers from the local ski shop so it was a cheap date. Took about 2.5 hours to get out there.

I went with two of my best buddies, one of whom was just in town for a couple days before booking it back out to school in Portland, OR. This kid is a really good skiier; just got back from a week in Aspen with family.

About six hours into the day, our skis crossed as we dismounted a lift and he fell across my new skis. This was worth a quick laugh until he looked at his glove, soaked in blood. My skis' razor-sharp edge had cut through his very thick wool flannel pants, both sides of the cotton pocket liner, his poly long pants, and poly underwear to leave a 4" long by 2" deep gash in his upper rear thigh (near-butt area). He didn't hit up the ski patrol, though, and skiied himself down to the base lodge. In the first aid building they later found it also cut through to his calf as well to leave a shallow 2" long cut! The thing about it was, though, that the skis were so sharp that he didn't bleed much at all. His glove got a red stain on it but there was no flowing bleeding! The guys at the Rescue Squad building said, "were those your skis? Good job, man!" LOL

He went to the hospital by ambulance and the other two of us followed behind, hazards blinking. At one point we got cut off from the ambulance by a couple SUVs and a few switches of the headlights gave the message and sent them careening off the road. It was fun driving through Garrett County immune from the police, who outnumber the local residents.

He had 24 stitches at the area ER. Took about two hours of us sitting in the waiting room then we went out to dinner to ease the pain. Just got home... what a way to end the main ski season (might do a couple more trips locally but school is coming back into session)!

Bummer about your buddy. Hope it all heals up well.

I'm sorry for the thread drift but I feel compelled to just drop a quick request for people NOT to chase the ambulance. I am a career paramedic/firefighter in a station that runs 4000 calls a year. I drive that medic unit A LOT. If family/friends follow the ambulance when I am running emergency, I have, and will continue to, pull off to the side of the road, walk back to their car and ask them not to follow me. I've never had a partner in the back tell me that the patient is too sick or critical to do that. When I'm in the back, I expect whoever is driving the ambulance to do the same thing.

Private vehicles are not emergency vehicles. Four way flashers are not emergency signalling devices. If we have to stop for some unknown reason in a big hurry, a concerned citizen following us may be too close and strike the back of the ambulance. Typically, care givers in the back are not wearing their seatbelts. It hinders our ability to work on critical patients. Ambulances, like taxi cabs and buses, are exempt from seat belt laws. Plus, just like that SUV did to you guys, other drivers will yield for emergency vehicles but are not expected Mr(s) Citizen to be also acting as an emergency vehicle in their private car. If you get in a wreck and the driver of the ambulance happens to see it, we are compelled to stop and render aid of some sort. This will delay treatment even more.

So I am very glad your buddy will be ok. Good thing it didn't catch his neck or severe a tendon. I am sorry for coming off as a flying schmuck about driving behind an ambulance but I just want to make my piont and say "drive normal to the hospital. Your buddy/family member will be there and typically, family/friends are ushered out of the ER until the staff has some time to assess and begin treatment. It makes no sense to rush there only to sit in the waiting room. As for immunity from the police..consider it luck, not law.

Steve