Medical center responds to train derailment victims

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. K. Spencer
  • 59th Medical Wing Public Affairs
LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas (AFPN) --  An early morning train collision and release of toxic fumes near San Antonio on June 28 sent at least 22 people to Wilford Hall Medical Center here for treatment.

At least two people died as a result of the derailment.

Workers from the 59th Medical Wing immediately responded, decontaminating people at the hospital’s emergency department entry and providing medical care for the influx of patients.

“The emergency department staff was very busy caring for all the victims,” said Maj. (Dr.) Max Lee, acting chief of emergency medicine. “(Most patients) were suffering from respiratory problems and were treated and released.”

A critical incident family support center was set up in the hospital offering services for the families of those being seen in the emergency department, and for those who were concerned, but unsure of whether they had been exposed to any chemical hazards. Medical workers were on hand to determine if those individuals needed to be seen. Workers also provided other services such as stress management and chaplain assistance, and handled administrative duties. Food and information on local resources was also made available to the victims and their families.

Two of the victims were admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where one patient remains in critical condition. Two others were admitted to an intermediate intensive care unit for observation.

“I think we can all be grateful for where and when the collision happened, for the (emergency medical system) that supports San Antonio and the connectivity that system has with our local hospitals,” said Col. Ted Rogers, Wilford Hall administrator and acting vice commander. “All in all, there was an exceptionally good response, and it could have been much more tragic had it been under different circumstances.”

Wilford Hall has been part of San Antonio’s trauma network since 1975 and became the first Department of Defense Level 1 trauma center in 1995. The medical center receives about 25 percent of the city’s trauma cases, which provides Air Force physicians, nurses and other professional staff members realistic trauma experience to help prepare them for their wartime roles.