Airmen respond to motorcycle accident Published April 15, 2004 By 2nd Lt. Jon Quinlan 314th Airlift Wing Public Affairs LITTLE ROCK AIR FORCE BASE, Ark. (AFPN) -- A busload of Airmen from here were on their way to an observance honoring prisoners of war and servicemembers missing in action. They had no idea they would be the first people on the scene at a motorcycle crash April 9.The bus was en route to nearby North Little Rock but stopped along the highway to help a motorcycle-accident victim.“Thank God he had a helmet on,” said Airman 1st Class Ashley Wilson of the 314th Medical Group. She was one of several Airmen with medical expertise on the bus. It appeared that a car hit the motorcycle throwing the rider into a nearby ditch. His helmet’s visor was found about 60 yards from the scene. “When we got to the gentleman, he was in a lot of pain,” said Capt. (Dr.) Christopher Grussendorf of the 314th Medical Operations Squadron. “He had a lot of road rash on his left side, and his left shoulder looked like it was disconnected. His breathing was OK, but it looked like he was in … shock. I could not get a (wrist) pulse, so I knew his blood pressure was dropping.”The Airmen provided aid for 10 minutes before an ambulance arrived. “Airman Wilson held his spine for stabilization, and I stayed next to Dr. Grussendorf in case he needed me for anything,” said Airman Jeremiah Lewis of the 314th MDOS. “We didn’t have a whole lot of supplies to work with, so we provided comfort for him and prepped him before (the ambulance arrived),” Dr. Grussendorf said. “It was fortunate (it) was there quickly to get him out of there, because he needed additional medical attention.”The doctor said one of the most important things responders can do to treat shock is to provide aid and comfort. The Airmen did so by holding the patient’s hand. The Airmen helped load the patient onto a spine board and into the ambulance. Dr. Grussendorf handed off responsibility to the emergency technicians and the Airmen got back on the bus. The ambulance took the patient to a local hospital where he is recuperating.“I am glad we had medical personnel onboard and they stepped up and handled the situation,” said Staff Sgt. Terry Benson of the 314th Maintenance Group. He directed traffic around the accident scene. The Airmen credit their training for preparing them for this real-world situation. “In tech school, you go over things so many times. It is so repetitive, and you get so tired of doing it, but it helps because in a situation like this, you don’t have time to think,” Airman Lewis said. (Courtesy of Air Education and Training Command News Service)