ESL Podcast 453 - Making an Emergency Medical Call

emergency - an unexpected situation that is dangerous or very serious and makes one act immediately

Is anyone here a doctor? It's an emergency! My wife is giving birth!

to state - to say something; to give information

Please leave a message, stating your name, telephone number, and your reason for calling, and we'll return your call as soon as we can.

ambulance - a special van that is driven very quickly, with loud noise and bright lights, to help people with urgent medical problems, taking them to the hospital

When Heather broke her leg while she was home alone, she wasn't able to drive herself to the hospital, so she called an ambulance.

car accident - a collision between two or more cars; when a car hits another car or another object, usually hurting or killing people

Car accidents are more likely when the roads are covered in ice and snow.

pileup - a big, serious car accident where many cars hit each other

When the truck rolled over on the freeway, it caused a pileup because all the cars behind it ran into each other.

to trace - to find something; to figure out where something is

They traced the bad smell in the house to their son's dirty socks.

hurt - injured; in pain because something is wrong with one's body

Claudia got hurt when she fell off her bicycle.

unconscious - not aware of what is happening around oneself and appearing to be asleep, usually because one was hit very hard on the head

Hideya was unconscious for a few minutes after he hit his head.

to bleed - to lose blood; to have a red liquid come of out one's body because one has an injury or is hurt in some other way

Nicky accidentally cut her finger with the scissors and it bled on the carpet.

trapped - unable to move or leave a place, usually because one or more objects are in one's way

We were trapped in the elevator for four hours, waiting for someone to fix it.

to rescue - to save someone; to help someone get out of a difficult or dangerous situation

The firefighters rescued two little girls from a burning building.

to explode - to make a loud noise and break into many small pieces, usually with fire

It's dangerous to smoke in a gas station because the gas tanks might explode.

to stay on the line - to not hang up the phone; to continue to talk with someone on the phone and not leave to do something else

Please stay on the line, and our next available representative will be with you as soon as possible.

Jaws of Life - a large, strong machine that cuts a hole in something to help people get out of a car or building after a serious accident

After the earthquake, the city used its Jaws of Life to help people get out of the library, which had collapsed.

to do the job - to be able to do something well; to work correctly

You have a lot of furniture to move, so we'll need at least four strong people to do the job.

paramedics - a person who is not a nurse or doctor, but whose job is to help people with medical problems, especially in an emergency

The paramedics saved that man's life, helping him breathe until they could get him to the hospital.

to hurry - to rush; to do something quickly

Please hurry and finish the project as quickly as you can. The client is waiting!