Real-Life Emergencies
Barry Betha: Overheated Biker Collapses
Our Wilderness First Responder graduate Barry Betha also took our Heat Emergencies webinar, and afterwards shared the following story with Dr. Bonthius. Barry: “I had just attended this webinar a few weeks ago, and experienced a heat-related incident in the mountains last Sunday. An on-scene physician and I were having disagreements about treatment of the…
Read MoreDaniel: 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…
Read MoreDaniel: Wife Chokes During Dinner
We were sitting in our house with family and friends enjoying each other’s company. While we were eating, my wife started coughing. She stood up rapidly and began to gag. Everyone just sat and asked the normal question, ‘are you okay?’ ‘Just drink some drink and wash it down,’ they said. I noticed she was…
Read MoreAnika: Rock Climbing Catastrophe
!! Read to the end for a plot twist !! Some background for the fateful day: It was December, 2019. I was a junior in college and just beginning to flourish. I had just spent the past few months familiarizing myself with popular outdoor pursuits, such as backpacking and climbing, via group outings with my…
Read MoreDiane: Backyard Blaze
I was just a young girl when it happened. There was a large wooded area behind our house. My father burned foliage every year to keep it open in case of trespassers. This particular year, the fire got out of control. Rather than take me out of the woods, he brought me deeper in, set…
Read MoreJim: Worksite Eye Emergency
I am a construction worker. I was drilling into the concrete deck above me when the concrete spalled – there was concrete and metal reinforcement everywhere. I lost my balance, fell from ladder, and realized I was having vision issues. I drove myself to the nearest hospital to get checked out and found that I…
Read MoreGeorge: Table Saw Disaster
I was in my Dad’s woodworking shop cutting some boards. I was in a hurry. I forgot to lower the sawblade on his table saw. In a moment of stupidity and forgetfulness, I reached over the blade with my right hand and made contact with my thumb and pointer finger on the blade. I immediately…
Read MoreKenneth: Cold Crisis in California Mountains
I was backpacking in the Trinity Alps Wilderness in CA with my wife. The topo maps we had gathered to plan our hike were found to be wrong due to flood damage just before the season (too late to make changes). The plan was for a 10 day trip, but that changed. After hiking twice…
Read MoreMike: Icy Road Wreck
Well, my story is not the most exciting one I have ever experienced, but I learned the most from it. I was very early into my career in law enforcement, and I had gotten off of work late at night. It was early February, and around 20 degrees. I lived about 30-40 minutes from my…
Read MoreRene: Nightmare Storm
Easter morning–a time for chocolate-filled baskets and decorated egg hunts, or a celebration of the risen Savior? Regardless of your beliefs, 2016 initiated the annual Easter anniversary of an event our family will never forget. As unapologetic Christians, our lives revolve around our faith. Although we prefer to celebrate Easter morning with a fellowship breakfast…
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