Yellow dots can save lives

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Updated: March 1, 2012 8:19AM

Minooka police are asking people with any type of medical issues or disabilities to put a yellow dot on their vehicles’ back window. The yellow dot could mean the difference between life and death — yours.

The three-inch yellow dot, which goes on the driver-side rear window, is an alert for first responders in the event of an accident or emergency.

First responders see the yellow dot and immediately know to look for information about a driver or passenger inside the glove compartment of the car.

The information is logged on a yellow medical card, which is included in the Yellow Dot materials package.

It’s all part of a program by the Illinois Department of Transportation, a statewide initiative designed to provide vital medical information on drivers and passengers of vehicles.

Anyone with a medical problem or disability should fill out the medical information card and place it in the vehicle he or she normally drives or rides in. The card has a spot for a close up photo of the person so first responders can immediately identify him or her.

There’s space for personal information, blood type, allergies, medical conditions and emergency contacts, all in one safe place.

It reminds me a little bit of the kits the kids used to get in school or at local events to keep their information all in one place.

First responders know that the minutes immediately following a vehicle crash or roadside emergency can be the most critical. They call it the “Golden Hour.”

The more responders know about you during that critical time, the better you can be treated. That information is also valuable for emergency personnel at the hospital.

My son is allergic to penicillin. If he were in an accident and was not able to share that information, he could receive penicillin at the hospital.

Sometimes what appears to be one thing is a whole different problem.

When Minooka police Chief Justin Meyer was a patrol officer, he came across a vehicle stopped at McEvilly and Ridge roads. When the light turned green, the vehicle didn’t move.

Meyer found the driver slumped over the steering wheel and vomit inside the car.

At first he thought the person might be drunk.

Meyer found a cell phone in the car and called the person’s home phone. A loved one informed Meyer that the person was diabetic and likely suffering from insulin shock, which turned out to be the case.

Had Meyer not found out that important medical information, the victim might have been treated as intoxicated — at least in the beginning — wasting valuable time.

Meyer was interest in the Yellow Dot program through IDOT, but they needed a local distribution center for the materials. So the Minooka Police Department is the area’s official distribution site.

The program was just adopted two weeks ago and promoted at Minooka High School for students and staff and for senior citizens through the Triad program. But anyone can pick up Yellow Dot information and materials from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the Minooka Police Dept., 121 E. McEvilly Drive, Minooka.

You don’t have to be a Minooka resident to participate, Meyer said. The department is more than willing to share this important information with anyone in the area.

Reach Kris Stadalsky at
writestuff56@comcast.net.