The Accident 

 意外

On Monday morning November 15^th at 10.30am, Julien and his classmates in the international section of the Ritan Park campus of Fangcaodi (芳草地) were outside with the teacher on the school’s main playground for outdoor activities and morning break. Julien was lying on the ground, resting briefly next to a pile of his classmate’s clothes.

2010年11月15日上午10:30, 北京芳草地国际学校日坛校区内，我儿子Julien正和同学们一起由学校国际部的老师带领在学校的大操场上活动。当时Julien正躺在操场的中央，周围是他和其他小朋友的衣服。

The driver of one of the school’s senior administrators got into the school’s car (a Toyota Camry, pictured below) to leave the campus. Instead of backing up and heading towards the exit, he did a large circle on the playground to maneuver towards the exit, failing to notice Julien. Julien saw the car coming but didn’t have time to move away in time. The car drove over Julien. Julien entered from the front of the car, between the wheels, then was snagged by the undercarriage and dragged 8.4 meters before exiting from between the two back wheels. The minimum clearance between the ground and the car where Julien passed was only 10cm. The driver noticed nothing throughout this entire time, only realizing what had happened when a teacher ran screaming towards him, then picking up Julien from the rear of the car.

学校的一部丰田凯美瑞（下面照片中黑色的那辆车）当时正静静停在操场一侧。 一名学校高层领导的司机坐进车里并打算将车驶出学校。照常理，这位司机应该先倒车，然后沿一侧车道将车子驶向学校的出口。但是谁也没想到，司机竟然原地掉头，歪歪扭扭地直接斜穿过操场，朝校门口驶去，也没有看到在他前方路面上的Julien。Julien看到车子朝自己冲过来，但是完全没有时间从地上爬起来并逃走。车子从正前方直撞向他，他被车子带倒后卡在4个车轮中间被拖行了足足8.4米。由始至终，司机都没有注意到这一切，直到带课的老师看到后尖叫着冲过去，然后把Julien从车后抱出来。

Julien entered from the front of the car where the first bag on the right is placed on the ground, and exited from the back of the car next to the second bag (on the left, next to the policeman taking a picture). This picture was taken during the police reconstruction of the accident, with the actual car and the driver shown. The driver is shown in the middle of the photo, wearing a beige jacket.

 这张照片是警方调查事故时还原现场的所作的模拟。右侧放包的地点是Julien被撞倒的地方，然后一直被拖行到左侧放包的位置（警察正在照相的地方）。照片中的黑色车就是肇事车辆，站在两个警察中间的穿米色外套的是肇事司机。

The bottom of the car, where julien passed. Maximum height clearance of 10 cm. 

Julien被汽车拖过去的底部，最大间隙为10厘米高度 

The teacher immediately ran with Julien in her arms to the nearby Ritan children hospital, from where she contacted us.

老师马上抱着将Julien送至附近的日坛儿童医院，并在医院里打电话通知我们。

What were cars doing on a school playground for children? The school’s explanation is that due to construction around the campus, there is no readily available parking spot for the school’s staff. To avoid walking from nearby parking lots, the school’s management and principal teachers prefer to park and maneuver where the children play and rest.

汽车停在孩子们在学校活动的操场上做什么？学校的解释是，由于校园正在施工，所以暂时没有可提供给学校工作人员的停车位。为了免得还得从附近的停车场走到学校来，学校的管理层和教师都愿意把机动车停在孩子们玩耍和休息的操场。

This was however not the first incident, and concerns had already been expressed to the school that cars in the playground represented a serious hazard for the safety of the school children. A few months prior a children playing was reaching for a wandering playing ball under a parked car when the vehicle’s driver was preparing to drive away.  Another teacher saw the situation and stopped the car from driving at the last minute, avoiding a terrible accident. The incident was brought up to the school’s management and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) made repeated requests to ban all cars from the playground. The request was denied and ignored, making possible the conditions for Julien’s accident.

然而这并不是第一起事件，将汽车都停在操场上会对孩子们安全构成严重威胁已经向学校表示了我们的担忧。几个月前一个孩子在操场上正试图捡回滚到操场停着的一辆汽车下面的球，这时候汽车的司机正准备把车开走。另一位老师看到了这个情况，并在最后一分钟停止了司机的驾驶，避免了可怕的事故。这一事件被学校的管理和家长教师协会（PTA）一再要求禁止所有汽车停在操场上。正因为这个要求被忽视了，才给Julien的意外事故造成了可能性。

Immediately after the accident Julien lay on the ground with visible and obvious head and neck injuries. The first reaction from the school staff was to pick-up and lift Julien from the ground. this points to a serious lack of awareness and preparedness of first response in case of an accident. Any basic first emergency response training teaches that patient with head, neck or back injuries should never be moved until professional medical staff with appropriate equipment arrives on the scene.

事故发生后Julien躺在地上明显可见头部和颈部受伤。学校工作人员的第一反应就是把Julien从地面上抱起。他们也认为这是最好的方法，但这正表明了在发生意外时严重缺乏第一反应的意识和准备。最基本的应急训练和常识应该知道不能移动受伤者的头部，颈部和背部直到专业医疗人员带着医疗设备赶到现场。 

Julien’s Injuries 

伤势

Julien sustained the following external injuries: a 2.5 cm long wound at the back of his skull; trauma to the left half of his face which was scratched and swollen; a patch of skin (4 x 5 cm) on his shoulder was scraped away; and scratches and bruises on his legs, back, and feet.

外伤：脑后2.5cm 的伤口，已缝合；左脸擦伤并严重红肿；肩部皮肤严重破损，约4 x 5 厘米的皮肤完全撕裂；腿部、背部及足部多处擦伤及瘀斑。 

Internal injuries: lesions and internal bleeding of both lungs including a pneumothorax (perforation of the lungs), a small hematoma (internal bleeding) in the brain, internal bleeding around the eyes and ears, a crushed lower back vertebra, and dislocation of the top 3 cervicals. He miraculously suffered no apparent mental impairments or neurological damages.

内伤：双肺血气胸，颅内小血肿，眼部及耳部四周内出血。下部脊椎粉碎性骨折，C1-C3颈椎错位。幸运的是Julien并没有表现出明显的心理及精神创伤。

After initial examination and stabilization, we decided to move Julien to the Beijing New Century Children Hospital by ambulance (where 18 months earlier Julien had been very well treated for Kawasaki disease). Julien’s mother Hong was flying that morning to Guangzhou, and she was notified of this accident only when landing in Guangzhou airport at 2pm.

在完成初步检查及固定处理后，我们用救护车将Julien转到北京新世纪儿童医院，因为18个月前，Julien患川崎氏病（黏膜皮膚淋巴腺症候群）曾在这里得到很好的治疗。当时Julien的母亲李红正在飞去广州出差的航班上，她直到下午2点着陆后才得到消息。 

Julien never lost conscience and always remained fully aware of the situation. He was however in great pain from the multiple injuries, especially the neck, head and lower back. Adding insult to injury, the neck support brace placed on him rested directly on his shoulder wound, and he had to rest his head exactly where he had his rear head wound and stitches.

幸好Julien没有失去意识，并且在整个送医就诊的过程中都能保持清醒。但是这也加大了颈部、头部以及后背等多处创伤给他带来的痛楚。更糟的是因为颈椎受伤，他不得不戴上颈托，但颈托又正好卡到他肩膀处的伤口，再加上他只能平躺在床上，头部的着力点又正好是他后脑伤口缝针的地方，可谓是雪上加霜。

He was ordered to rest on his back for several weeks wearing a neck brace. His face injuries improved but his neck and back pains remained acute. We camped at the hospital day and night to comfort and encourage him, pushing doctors to try to get a clearer and full picture of his condition.

他被医生勒令必须戴着颈托平躺数周，虽然脸上的擦伤恢复得比较快，但他颈部和背部的伤口依然剧烈疼痛。我们只能不分昼夜在医院陪伴他，安慰他，鼓励他，并不时向医生打听以便全面清除地了解他的病情及预后。

Julien’s evacuation

转院

On Thursday November 18^th, a doctor from SOS International in Beijing came to the hospital to evaluate Julien’s condition and confer with the Chinese doctors. His recommendation was that there were too many unknowns regarding his cervical condition, potential additional skull fractures, and that he should be evacuated to a center of medical excellence.

11月18日星期四，北京SOS国际医疗中心的医生与新世纪儿童医院的医生会诊。由于Julien颈椎的伤势存在诸多不确定因素，而且可能颅骨骨折，医生建议将Julien转至经验更为丰富的医疗中心进行进一步治疗。 

A parallel consultation (based on the CT Scan – X rays sent to Switzerland) with a Swiss specialist came to the same conclusion. His neck injuries were the most troublesome, and if not treated correctly immediately, could lead to permanent disabilities.

同时，瑞士专家组根据CT扫描与X光摄片也给出同样的诊断结果。Julien颈椎所受到的伤害是所有伤情中最为麻烦的，如果治疗不当或不够及时，有可能会造成终身瘫痪。 

We took the decision on Friday morning Nov 19^th to evacuate Julien to Switzerland where he could get the best possible care. We contacted REGA (a Swiss air ambulance and evacuation services) and they immediately dispatched a plane with a medical team.

综合各方医生的建议，我们在11月19日星期五作出决定，将孩子转去瑞士以使他得到最好的治疗。我们联系了REGA（瑞士空中救护服务处），他们决定立刻派出专机及医疗队来北京接Julien。 

The school management was opposed to a medical evacuation and the principal told us that any decisions regarding medical treatments should be made by joint accord of the parents AND the school.

学校管理层对转院持有不同意见，校长告诉我们接受任何治疗应该由家长和学校的一起决定。

The plane landed on Sunday Nov 21^st, and after a mandatory rest for the pilots, we left for Switzerland Monday Nov 22^nd.

11月21日星期天，救护飞机在北京着陆。驾驶员进行了必须的休整后，我们于11月22日上午启程飞往瑞士。所幸整个航程还算顺利，在随机医生的密切监测下，Juien受伤的肺部顶住了高空飞行带来的考验。

Julien’s condition and treatment

Julien的现状与治疗

Upon arrival at the University Hospital of Lausanne CHUV, Julien was further examined by a pediatrician orthopedist and pediatrician neurosurgeon and underwent an MRI examination. They confirmed a C0 / C1 dislocation (atlantooccipital dislocation: a misalignment of the base of the skull and the first cervical)

 在抵达洛桑CHUV大学附属医院后，Julien接受了儿童整形外科、儿童神经外科以及核磁共振（MRI）等进一步的检查，确认C0/C1错位（寰枕关节脱位：即颅骨基部及第一节颈椎未对准）

Julien was immediately put into “extension” (i.e. lying down on a special bed and his head is pulled upwards using a special head support and a set of pulleys and weights) for 5 days.

诊断结果出来后，医生立即对Julien实施5天的牵引治疗（即把他放在一张特制的床上，用一组由重物和滑轮组成的设备和头部支撑装置来牵拉他的头部）。

The doctor confirmed that it is a rare injury, as most of the time the patient does not survive the cervical dislocation, which is typically fatal on the spot. If they do survive, they often remain tetraplegic (paralyzed from the neck down) and sometimes under artificial ventilation for the rest of their lives.

医生已经确认这样的伤势是非常罕见的，因为多数情况下颈椎脱位患者是很难存活的。即便患者侥幸存活，通常也是颈部以下高位截瘫（从颈部以下瘫痪）只能靠人工维持呼吸。

Julien spent a total of 4 weeks flat and bed ridden without moving at all. After this time a special neck brace was tailored made from him, using a Swiss technology which scanned his head to make a computer 3D model to produce a polymer solid model. The neck brace allowed him to move and get out of the hospital a few weeks later.

朱利安整整在床上平躺了4周完全不能动，过了这段时间医生采用瑞士技术，扫描他的头，使计算机三维模型生成一种高分子实体模型，特别为他订造了一个颈箍。颈箍可以让他的颈部移动，几个星期之后然后就可以让他出院了。

Julien stayed at home with his grandparents in Switzerland to recover for 3 months, receiving home schooling in the afternoon. 3 months after the accident in mid February, he was finally able to take out his neck brace and resume a normal life while limiting his physical activities.

He suffered psychologically as well, having occasional panic attacks when he sees parked or slow moving cars. He underwent psychiatric treatment while in Switzerland.

Julien被限制在可预见的未来不能进行几项运动，比如跳水，体操，接触性运动，过山车和某些操场上的活动。

同时他心理也有障碍，当他看到停在或缓慢移动的汽车就经常有恐慌产生。在瑞士的时候他接受了精神方面的治疗。

The school’s reaction and aftermath

数月后和学校的反应

Despite having various school staff come and go at the hospital, and entering the patient’s room without warning, we never received any explanation as to what exactly happened, the circumstances of the accident, and even how Julien was hit. The school management met with us on several occasions and told us it would be best for this incident not to be publicized and communicated.

尽管有不同的学校工作人员在医院里来来回回的并没有提前告知的情况下直接进入病人的房间，但是我们从来没有得到任何有关到底究竟发生了什么，事故的情况，甚至如何朱利安被撞到的解释。学校管理层见了我们好几次，告诉我们这件事最好不要对外公开和宣传。

Frustrated by this lack of information and transparency, we took the initiative to report the accident to the police (which had not been previously notified). The police conducted an investigation and a reenactment on the premises of the school the day before we left (pictures above of the car).  Only then did we finally understand what really happened and the exact circumstances of the accident, which were much worse than we initially thought.

对整件事情信息不足和缺乏透明度我们感到很失望，所以我们采取了主动向警方报告事故（这以前没有被告知）。警方进行了调查，在我们离开的前一天在学校现场进行事故重演（以上的汽车图片）。只有那时，我们终于明白到底发生了什么和事故，明显比我们最初认为的情况更可怕。

How could the driver not see a kid and a heap of clothes on the playground? Why didn’t the driver reverse out instead of doing a large circle among children playing at the school recess?  Was he completely distracted / under medication / or even drunk? We still do not know. However he still works at the school as a driver.

司机怎么会看不到操场上有一个孩子和衣服堆呢？司机为什么不是向后倒车而是在在操场上绕着玩耍的孩子们兜圈再出来？他是完全分心或是服用药物，还是喝醉了吗？我们仍然不知道。但他仍然作为司机为学校工作。

Security cameras are constantly monitoring and video recording the school’s playground. When we asked for the tape of that day as to see the accident, we were told that the camera was out of order that specific day.

安全摄像机不断监测和拍摄记录学校的操场。当我们提出要看发生事故的当天录像带时，我们被告知摄像机出故障了。

The following week after our arrival in Switzerland, contacted by parents as to Julien’s whereabouts we realized that nobody knew that an accident had happened at the school, and the cars were still coming in and out of the playground as if nothing had happened.

我们到达瑞士后接下来的一周，有人联系我们以了解Julien的下落，我们这才意识到没有人知道学校发生了意外事故，机动车仍然若无其事的出入学校的操场。

We informed several parents and the PTA. The initial outrage from parents forced the school to accept to limit the speed of cars on the playground. It is only after a tense meeting between the PTA and the school management and under threat of media intervention that they agreed to ban cars from the playground during school times.

我们把事情告诉了一些家长和PTA。家长们最初的愤怒迫使学校接受限制机动车在操场上的行驶速度。这只是我们在威胁要媒体干预，与PTA和学校管理层紧张的会议后，学校才同意禁止机动车在上课时间停在学校的操场上。

Upon our return to Beijing, the school told us we had to follow the “Chinese legal system”, that is we have to sue the school in court, if we wanted to get any form of compensation and that any cost incurred out of China would not be covered. We also discovered on this occasion that the accident had not been reported to the higher authorities in the education bureau which governs the school. 

我们回到北京，学校告诉我们，我们必须遵循“中国法律制度”，即是我们要控告学校，如果我们想获得任何形式的补偿，在中国以外产生的任何费用都是不包括在内的。此时，我们也发现这起事故并没有上报到该学校的上级主管部门所在的教育局。

Julien has needlessly suffered excruciating pain and trauma, and we as parents have experienced something that no parent should have to – the horror of learning of your child’s accident followed by hour-by-hour discoveries of new, life threatening injuries, compounded by the frustration of dealing by the lack of transparency or accountability of the school authorities who have appeared more concerned with covering things up than with addressing the causes and ensuring that no such accident occurs again.

Julien没有必要遭受难以忍受的痛苦和创伤，作为父母的我们也经历了其他父母都不应该经历的事情 – 可怕的认识到孩子发生意外后还有接二连三不断地还有有新事情发生，生命受到了威胁，其次处理中缺乏透明度，比起追究事故确保不会再有同样的意外发生， 学校更关心的是掩盖事实无疑加剧了我们的挫折感。

We have lost trust in the management of FangCaoDi, and have moved Julien to a new school, where he has a lot of catching-up to do. 

我们已经失去对芳草地学校管理层的信任，并把Julien转到一个新的学校，在那里他有很多事情要做。

We hope that this accident can at least serve as a call to action that the school must take children’s safety more seriously. Measures we recommend include implementing CPR and First Aid training for teachers, strict traffic control regulations, and regular monitoring of safety procedures.

我们希望这次事故至少可以呼吁学校必须更严肃地考虑孩子的安全问题。我们建议措施包括CPR的实施和教师的急救培训，严格的交通管制法规和安全程序定期监测。

Yet the school’s management reaction has been to initially cover up the incident and then limit any changes to the strict minimum. Fangcaodi aspires to be an internationally renowned institution, but the actions of the school’s administration fall far short of that.

学校的管理层初步反应是掩盖这一事件，然后把任何改变都限制到最低程度。芳草地学校渴望成为一个国际知名的机构，但学校管理方面的作为实在差得太远。