Airmen rescue motorcyclist from raging fire

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Lindsey Maurice
  • 31st Fighter Wing Public Affairs
AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy (AFNS) --  As the fire quickly consumed the 4-foot-tall crops and anything in its path, Chief Master Sgt. James Eggers knew what he had to do. His first priority was to quickly locate the motorcyclist laying somewhere in the field.

It was late July when Chief Eggers, the 31st Medical Group superintendent here, was traveling through Germany with his family and friends to include Maj. Johanna Perdue, the 31st Surgical Operations Squadron officer in charge of same-day surgery, getting one last trip in before their permanent change of station moves.

It was only four hours into their trip, traveling down a back road their Global Positioning System had led them to, when they came upon a major vehicle accident. A motorcyclist was hurled into a nearby wheat field in the accident, and his bike set the field ablaze.

While a crowd of about 15 spectators gathered, none of them were willing to get any closer than 20 feet from the blaze.

"I initially ran toward the field near the fire and scanned the area looking for the motorcyclist or for any sign of where he might have been thrown from his bike," Chief Eggers said. "If he was alive and going to make it, I knew I needed to find him fast."

The chief recalled a time when he was 13 years old and fell victim to a gasoline fire that severely burned 30 percent of his body.

"I know how painful and traumatic an encounter with fire can be," he said. "I knew I wasn't going to let this man experience that type of pain if I had anything to say about it."

The dense field ignited quickly, creating intense heat and thick black smoke, making it almost impossible to locate the motorcyclist, Major Perdue recalled.

"With the high fire and black smoke, it seemed as though the motorcycle could have exploded at any moment," added Chief Eggers' wife, Corrine, who remained in the car with the children at a safe distance.

As Chief Eggers began to walk away from the fire, unable to see the victim, he suddenly noticed a shoe belonging to the motorcyclist. Scanning the area again, he was able to spot the victim lying in the field about 20 yards from the motorcycle and about five feet from the intense and expanding fire.

"We could tell immediately that he was in critical condition," said Chief Eggers, who has been in the medical career field for 27 years. "He had multiple fractures to include hip displacement and one to his left femur. His right foot was also nearly amputated at the ankle and his spine seemed as though it may have been broken."

With such serious injuries, Chief Eggers and Major Perdue knew it was best to keep the victim as still and calm as possible until the paramedics arrived, pending the fire could be kept at a safe enough distance.

"If we had to move him, we had a game plan and were prepared to do so, but that would be our last resort," Chief Eggers said.

As the chief and his friends worked to keep the victim calm and safe from the blaze, they noticed one of the spectators had a small fire extinguisher and in an effort to suppress the fire was inadvertently forcing the fire and smoke toward them and the victim, Major Perdue said.

Relying on the German he had picked up over the years, Chief Eggers was able to get the spectator to stop using the extinguisher.

"I was also able to get an aluminum heat blanket from someone, which we used to help shield the victim from the heat and smoke," Chief Eggers said.

Chief Eggers, Major Perdue and a friend were also able to compact the crops between the victim and the fire to help create an additional barrier.

The chief continued to comfort and reassure the victim in German, while Major Perdue and his friend monitored the victim's condition and ensured he remained immobile to not worsen his injuries.

"Keeping him calm and safe from the fire was paramount," Chief Eggers said.

Shortly thereafter, local paramedics arrived on scene and the trio continued to assist, starting an intravenous drip and providing first aid until they were no longer needed.

"I would definitely say it was years of training that kicked in that day," Chief Eggers said. "All those mass casualty exercises we practice in the Air Force, airshow crash scenarios and so on. It's important to play as though it's real because you never know when you may need to put those skills to use."

Mrs. Eggers agreed that her husband and Major Perdue's training was definitely evident in the rescue.

"As someone watching everything go down from a distance, it was obvious their training had kicked in," Mrs. Eggers said. "They knew exactly what needed to be done and did it fast. I was very impressed by their actions and proud of them all."

Chief Eggers added that if there is one thing people can gain from his experience, it's simply to help those in need when its safe.

"Don't be afraid to help," he said. "I truly believe that if we didn't show up that day and find him when we did, that the fire would have risen up and consumed him. Any help is better than no help at all. Just do your best to assist and be proud of that."