JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. –
Driving down the highway, foliage covering
either side of the road, two friends watch in awe, as a car in front of them
flips over, landing on a set of train tracks. Slamming on the brakes, they came
to a screeching halt next to the crash. The friends rushed to the car and began
yelling, as they searched for survivors amongst the inflated air bags and
wreckage.
Conscious, the driver muttered a weak “hello,” and was found trapped between
the crushed roof and back seats. The friends were shocked she managed to walk
away having only suffered from minor cuts and bruises.
“We couldn’t believe she wasn’t more hurt than she actually was. How she was
conscious or how she ended up in the back seat,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt.
Daniel Brown, 633rd Air Base Wing protocol. “We were just
happy that she was alright.”
While waiting for the first responders to arrive, Brown followed the procedures
he learned through his training in the Air Force, ensuring the driver did not
move her neck or legs. He also continued to have her talk, so that she would
remain conscious.
According to Joey Ramsey, Brown’s friend of more than 25 years who also
witnessed the crash, in their small close-knit town of Amelia, Virginia,
pulling over to help someone was just something everyone does. Ramsey, a
volunteer firefighter for close to 10 years, and Brown, a former combat
lifesaver instructor, were well-equipped to handle whatever the situation threw
at them.
“We had to give IVs in the back of a truck going 45 miles per hour on a gravel
road to prepare to go to Iraq,” said Brown. “So, when we saw the car flip, it
wasn’t anything that I thought me and my buddy couldn’t handle. We were ready
and knew what we were getting ourselves into when we jumped out of the truck.”
When approaching the flipped vehicle Brown and Ramsey were unfazed.
“We were calm and we knew we had to stop,” said Ramsey. “If we didn’t stop, and
that woman was seriously injured, or someone else stopped who didn’t know what
to do to help, it could have made the situation a lot worse, but we knew what
to do to handle the situation.”
Brown encourages everybody to take the time to help if they can, and for
military members to take the training they receive seriously.
“Do your civic duty; stop and assess the situation,” said Brown. “If you can
help, then help, but if you can’t then let the professionals do their job.
Remember, there is a fine line between helping and hurting and knowing when to
stop. You just have to have your wits about you to make sure you are not
hindering the situation.”
Whether in a town with only one stoplight or in the middle of a bustling city,
Brown is prepared to smash glass and break through doors using the training the
Air Force has equipped him with to save a life.