Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras (AFPN) -- Airmen and Soldiers treated five Cuban citizens when their car crashed through the base’s perimeter fence March 1.
The driver lost control of the car and ran off the road at approximately 6:15 a.m., rolling the vehicle several times and ultimately crashing through Soto Cano Air Base’s perimeter fence.
The victims are among 300 Cuban medical personnel assigned in Honduras and were traveling to Comayagua from Tegucigalpa at the time of the crash. Base personnel responded quickly, as joint security forces secured the scene and medical element troops triaged the patients.
“Cuban doctors told us that if it hadn't been for the rapid response, they didn't think all of the injured would have made it," said Senior Master Sgt. Edgar Torres, joint security forces operations superintendent.
One victim was immediately transferred from the accident scene to a local hospital thanks to a Red Cross vehicle passing by. The four remaining patients were taken to Joint Task Force-Bravo’s emergency room, where they were treated and stabilized for their injuries. It was quickly determined that the four men needed to be air-evacuated to a Tegucigalpa hospital.
“Everyone’s care was stellar,” said Army Capt. (Dr.) Danira Mayes, JTF-Bravo’s flight surgeon. “The fire department responders did everything perfectly in stabilizing the most severely injured victims. The hospital’s nurses and medical technicians worked as a joint team to provide the outstanding care to the patients.”
By 8:30 a.m. Soldiers from JTF-Bravo’s 1-228th Aviation Regiment had lifted off with the first two victims in a UH-60 helicopter enroute to Tegucigalpa, returning to the base to transport the remaining two men.
“The 1-228th’s crews worked seamlessly with (the medical element) to get injured to Teguicgalpa safely. If any unit involved would have done something wrong … the final outcome could have been much more tragic.”
Two of the five were released from the hospital Wednesday and the other three are making great strides in recovery, said Dr. Miguel Coello, medical element liaison officer.