¡No te muevas!

Friday night (Nov. 30th) I was out with a friend from our group and one of our Mexican friends. After going along to a birthday party they wanted to go to a bar. We had a great time and I got to play drums with a band again! Rock! Jake and I decided to walk home despite the fact that it was verrrrry late. On the walk home I had a conversation with Jake about why I never want to drink very much. #1 I am not a HUGE fan of alcohol, and #2 I always feel responsible for the people around me. I would never want to be in a situation where I wouldn't be able to step up and ensure the well-being of those around me. Part of this has to do with my desire to work in the medical field/the training I already have as an EMT. I left Jake at his house and crossed my bridge to get to my house. As I stepped off the bridge I heard a horrific sound and saw something out of the corner of my eye. Two cars collided and one rolled multiple times. Before I even processed what I had just seen I found myself sprinting towards the car. I was the first one on scene and went immediately to the car that came to rest upside down. First, I came across two young men that were half ejected out of the back window on the pavement. I expected to experience my first DOA (dead on arrival) and prayed as I checked for breathing and pulse on victim number one. Relieved to find a weak thump under my finger I moved on. Number two was in slightly better shape and I moved around the other side of the car. The driver was pinned and I physically could not get to her, but she was responsive. At this point I found myself barking orders to bystanders, in Spanish, and began to assess the two men. As they became more and more responsive they were trying to move. I held c-spine as I shouted "¡No te muevas!" Usually can't remember how to say negative "tu" form commands during the day let alone at 3 in the morning...First responders arrived and we simply worked side by side. My training meshed with their protocol. After help arrived, I was mainly focused on 20 year old Julio and saw his care through on scene until we loaded him into the ambulance and sent him on his way.
I spoke briefly with the police, looked for my jacket I had tossed aside, and then headed home. I was shaken up, encouraged, sad, excited...full of all kinds of different emotions. It was just very unexpected and a very bloody scene. I was encouraged in the sense that in the moment nothing phased me, that I jumped without even thinking, that skills were second nature and happened without even having to think about what to do. Sad that I won't know the outcome of the 3 victims and the fact that alcohol was a factor in the accident...But overjoyed to see the way that God has and will continue to weave together my passions: Spanish and Medicine.