Daniel: Motorcyclist Thrown From Bike

I am a veteran and an emergency responder at the company I’ve worked for 17 years – Rockwell Automation. My emergency appeared one Saturday morning while driving one of my sons and his friend home from youth football.

As I entered a roundabout, I noticed a large crowd gathered along the road and traffic backed up as far as I could see. Then I noticed the body in the road – the rear passenger from a motorcycle which had been struck from behind. No emergency responders had arrived yet, and I knew it would take time to get through the traffic. I parked my truck on the median and told my son if the police arrived to tell them I was rendering aid.

I grabbed a small first aid bag and headed toward the victim who was not moving. As soon as I got to her I could see she was in bad shape; no helmet, blood everywhere, and she was unconscious and bleeding from her face and mouth. She was breathing but I could see the blood and tissue in her mouth needed to be cleared. I got her in C-spine as much as I could and rolled her into recovery position, and asked another civilian to give me dressings I could use to apply pressure to her multiple cuts and wounds.

The first officer who arrived gave me his crash bag, from there I could get more dressings and instructed the civilian to help apply dressings to the worst bleeds. The victim was now coming in and out of consciousness and for the next what felt like an hour – more like 5-10 minutes – I continued clearing her air way and maintaining stability to her neck.

When the fire department arrived, I was asked to maintain c-spine and help them prep her on backboard for transport.

Many people have asked me why I stopped. While I didn’t think about it at the time, I now respond by stressing how important it is that trained people act. You never know when or where someone’s life might rely on your training, your presence, and your willingness to act. All the best training and equipment can’t supersede an individual’s willingness to step forward and do something good.

Later I called to check on the status of the victim I tended to and learned she was expected to fully recover. Also, the Police Chief of the town where this happened sent me the commendation I’ve shared.

What makes me most proud of this story is my son, who’s football career didn’t take off like he’d hoped, but is now in his second month of police academy training. He will often state that some of his motivation to want a career protecting and serving others came from that day. There’s not much more someone can give to our communities and country than new generations who understand the importance of service, the value of giving oneself to others, the criticality of taking action when others can’t or won’t, and how that can make all the difference in someone’s life.

Thanks for letting me share my story!