Vermont National Guard
SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Vermont Air National Guard Staff Sgt.
Darren Adams and Airman 1st Class Megan Robitaille were on their way back from
Honor Guard detail in Bennington May 7, when Robitaille, who was familiar with
the area, suggested they use a slightly off-beat road to save time on the trip
home.
As they drove on through Hubbardton,
Robitaille thought she saw a blue blanket or tarp in the middle of the road.
Adams narrowed his eyes, saying "Is that what I think it is?"
Their fears were confirmed when they pulled
up next to the bicyclist who's unnervingly still body lay in the middle of the
southbound lane near a crest of the hill. Not far from him lay his crumpled
bike, and a short distance away was a distraught lady in a car that had
apparently collided with it.
Robitaille had gone to school for sports
medicine and was used to helping injured people on the playing field. Adams had
been an emergency medical technician for 13 years and had more than 3,000
rescues under his belt.
Both, still in full honor-guard uniform,
rushed to the man after parking their car sideways to block on-coming traffic
from the accident scene. There was no hesitation as training – both military
and school – kicked in.
"I felt very confident we could
help this man," said Robitaille. "It was instinct; this was what we
had to do."
He was an older man, grey hair and
wearing blue biking gear, and from the frothy saliva from his mouth the two
VTANG members could see he was having snoring respiration or difficulty
breathing.
It was obvious to them the man had gone
into shock and was unconscious.
Using exact steps from Self-Aid Buddy
Care to turn the man from his side, careful of possible spinal injuries, the
two placed him on his back. From there, Adams got behind the man's head and
thrusted the biker's jaw forward so the tongue wouldn't be blocking the
airways. Meanwhile, Robitaille checked his pulse and then tried to warm his
body with a blanket, which was cold and clammy despite the 75 degree weather.
A Central Vermont Public Service worker
who came upon the scene shortly after them used his cell phone to contact 911.
"It's funny," Adams said,
"because we're in our blues but it doesn't say who we are. I could tell
the [emergency] call-taker was asking if there [were] first responders there
and he says, 'I think the Air Force is here.' I could imagine the call-taker
thinking a lot of good that's going to do."
But Robitaille and Adams did a lot of
good – after holding the man's jaw forward to keep his tongue from blocking his
breathing for a quarter of an hour, the man regained painful consciousness.
He could tell the VTANG his name, but
didn't know where he was or where he was going or what day it was. Adams was
able to do a head-to-toe assessment of the man's condition. Aside to the
expected cuts and abrasions, the biker seemed to have a broken shoulder, ribs,
and a head injury. The man's bike helmet had thankfully soaked up much of the
impact.
"We went from burying a veteran to
saving a civilian," Robitalle said. "It's one of those bittersweet
things when you can't believe this is happening, but it's such a rewarding
experience to be able to save someone's life." She said she hopes to see
him again.
Both of them said that although they had
a medical background which was obviously helpful in this situation, they are
sure the SABC training through the Air National Guard would enable any
service-member to be able to potentially save a person's life. The biggest
factor is staying calm and letting the training come to you.
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