-Ralph’s Story
On March 30th at about [time omitted for privacy] I was at work, and what was a normal crunch time to finish out a project turned very grim very quick.
My friends and I were more shocked than we could imagine at the time. A man was shot, several times ranging from the chest to lower abdomen. My friends and I where first on scene and somehow even though I’ve taken the stop the Bleed course with T3R no one prepares you for what is about to take place; I froze! But still immediately grabbed my trauma med bag I purchased after class.
Everything happens so fast and if it wasn’t for Jeremy and the T3R team training me, I think I would’ve fallen hard, I applied all the skills learned in class and was able to keep the man alive long enough for EMS to show up, when they arrived the tragic moment happened. The man did end up succumbing to his wounds.
I’ve probably wrote this several times some in great detail and some I feel not giving the proper context. Although this has been a heart felt and tragic moment in my life; T3R changed my life and mind for the better. We as citizens sometimes are the first responder, or the only one there and I’m proud to say that at the very least I can help save a life; there is so much more to learn, I will be attending many more classes and found an actual friendship with people invested in bringing our community together and educating those willing to learn to save a life. Thank you so much T3R for the amazing opportunity to learn from you all. I look forward to more classes and training.
-Jason’s Story
On the morning of April 9th at approximately [time omitted for privacy] I witnessed a horrific car accident. I pulled over, grabbed the med bag I keep in my truck and ran to the first vehicle. It was a minivan that was hit head on by a box truck. When I got to the driver it was easy to see that he was unfortunately deceased. I ran to the box truck to check on the other driver. When I looked in the door I saw the driver of the box truck had lost his right arm from the elbow down. After another bystander and I got him out of the truck I applied a tourniquet to his right arm a few inches below the shoulder. With the bleeding stopped there I went on to check him for other injuries. Discovering there were no other bleeds, I wrapped him in an emergency blanket to reduce the risk of hypothermia. It was 70° and raining so the ground was very wet and cold. Ems arrived 15+ minutes later. I have no doubt in my mind that had I not had a tourniquet and been trained in using it this crash would have had two fatalities instead of one. Sometimes it’s not enough to call 911. Train and be ready to help in the time of need.