In emergency services, no two days are ever the same. Responders must be prepared for anything at any time and react accordingly.
On Monday, responders reacted to a crash scene on an Adair County highway by initiating extraordinary measures to save a life.
A call to 911 of a vehicle versus a combine near the Breeding Fire Department set everything into motion for a multi-agency response. There was one patient who was severely trapped in the vehicle that struck the front of a combine.
Critical Care Paramedic Cody Neat and EMT Stacey Kelsay arrived on the scene and were accessing the patient while members of Breeding Fire Department attempted to extricate him from the vehicle. The patient’s legs were pinned and the vehicle was wrapped around him, leaving little room to administer aid.
“When I got to him, he was tachycardic and he was gray with a weaker pulse, and that told me that he was bleeding and had something going on somewhere,” said Neat. “We started IV’s on him and gave him fluids. He didn’t improve with fluids, which means the patient needed blood.”
Director of EMS Chad Wheet arrived about five minutes later. The patient was not improving. “It was actually Cody’s idea. He looked at me and said, ‘What about the hospital getting us some blood or sending somebody to the hospital to get some?’”
Neat called Shelby Hatcher, Registered Nurse at T.J. Health Columbia.
“I said. ‘Shelby, it’s a long shot, but we’re in a tight spot,’ and then I told her what we had,” said Neat.
The patient had a crush injury and there is not much that can be done for them other than to prepare for what is to happen when they are extricated. There was no external bleeding that could be seen, but there was very little visibility.
Adair County EMS does not carry blood on the ambulances.
“It’s the area we’re in. It’s so hard to carry blood back and forth because it’s only good for so many days, and you have got to be able to get it back to (a blood bank in Louisville) because they don’t want to waste it,” Wheet said.
A typical extrication can take 20-30 minutes with most of them being less than five minutes. In this instance, there was so much intrusion into the vehicle from the combine that it was clear that extrication was going to be lengthy.
The patient kept saying that his shin was pinned. About 45-50 minutes into the extrication, they still were not able to pull him from the vehicle but did determine that his foot was pinned.
The Columbia/Adair County Fire Department and Breeding Volunteer Fire Department were both on the scene with volunteer firefighters trying to get the patient out of the vehicle. Equipment from both agencies was used as rescuers tried multiple extrication procedures, often having to stop so the medical crew could move around to provide care for the patient.
A Call to the Hospital
“I looked down and saw Cody was calling me and I was like, this is not good,” said Hatcher. “Dr Keiser was sitting there with me, and I could tell by Cody’s voice how critical the situation was.”
Dr. Keiser immediately wrote the order for the blood and Hatcher went to the lab supervisor, Kandra Spears, who also agreed without hesitation for the blood to be taken to the scene. Hatcher grabbed bags of ice and boxed up four units of blood.
“When I got there, I just ran and Stacey got me a bag of saline and I spiked the blood and had it ready,” Hatcher said.
“Standing there watching him get that first unit of blood, entrapped under this combine, it was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever been a part of in my career so far,” Hatcher said. “The collaboration that we have here, we’re close. They are here for every beck and call that we have, and it was our turn, and I’m glad that we were able to do that. There was no hesitation from anyone, from the top down, they were supportive.”
Everyone was in agreement that the collaborative effort of every agency involved at the accident was crucial to saving a life. The extrication took almost two hours to perform with little room to work.
“At one time, Shelby was right beside of me. I was holding the guy, and then Cody was on the roof lying down,” said Wheet.
Administering blood on the scene of an accident is an extremely rare occurrence in rural communities. Of those involved, none of them have ever seen it happen.
“I think the blood made a huge difference,” said Neat. “I think without it, the outcome could have been totally different. The whole thing would not have been possible without the relationship between EMS and the emergency room here.”
While each of them modestly stated that they were not heroes and were simply doing their job, they were heroes that day.
“It looks good on us today, but what if it was somebody else? I think anybody that we work with would have done the same thing in the same situation,” said Neat.
Wheet spoke up and said, “I’ll be honest, I don’t know that I would have remembered or thought of it.”
One thing that each of them iterated was that it was a joint effort between every department and individual that was there. Everyone played an important role in the massive rescue operation. Columbia Adair/County Fire Department, Breeding Volunteer Fire Department, EMS, deputy sheriffs, Columbia City Police, Air Evac and Kentucky State Police were all on the scene. As of Wednesday, the patient was doing well. He had someone call to tell them how thankful he was for them.
“Without one factor being exactly the way it was, it wouldn’t have worked out, it just wouldn’t,” said Neat.
Law enforcement has not yet released details about the wreck or the name of the patient.
As the responders shared their story, they also offered a reminder of the importance of blood donors. There are blood drives in Adair County and surrounding counties several times a year.
The next one is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Columbia Church of Christ Fellowship Hall, 501 Jamestown St.
By Amy Pike
amy@adairvoice.com
