What device is best suited to lift a bus off a patient lying on its side?

The pneumatic lifting bag is particularly effective in emergency situations like lifting a bus off a patient lying on its side due to several key factors. These bags are designed to provide significant lift while being relatively lightweight and easy to deploy in challenging environments, such as those found at accident scenes.

When deployed, pneumatic lifting bags can expand rapidly, distributing lift evenly and minimizing the risk of further injury to the patient beneath. They are also capable of adjusting their lift as needed, offering a controlled and gentle rise, which is critical when dealing with heavy objects like buses to avoid shifting or causing additional harm.

In contrast, other options like hydraulic lifts may be too bulky or require a stable base, which might not be available in a side-lying scenario. Mechanical winches and manual pulley systems also lack the ability to provide the necessary vertical lift and may not handle the complexity of lifting an uneven load, making the pneumatic lifting bag the superior choice in this instance.