Photo By Staff Sgt. Parker Dubois | U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Brown, 633rd Comptroller Squadron protocol...... read more read more
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Driving down the highway, foliage covering either side of the road, two friends watch in awe, as a car in front of them flips over, landing on a set of train tracks. Slamming on the brakes, they came to a screeching halt next to the crash. The friends rushed to the car and began yelling, as they searched for survivors amongst the inflated air bags and wreckage.
Conscious, the driver muttered a weak “hello,” and was found trapped between the crushed roof and back seats. The friends were shocked she managed to walk away having only suffered from minor cuts and bruises.
“We couldn’t believe she wasn’t more hurt than she actually was. How she was conscious or how she ended up in the back seat,” said U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Daniel Brown, 633rd Comptroller Squadron protocol specialist. “We were just happy that she was alright.”
While waiting for the first responders to arrive, Brown followed the procedures he learned through his training in the Air Force, ensuring the driver did not move her neck or legs. He also continued to have her talk, so that she would remain conscious.
According to Joey Ramsey, Brown’s friend of more than 25 years who also witnessed the crash, in their small close-knit town of Amelia, Virginia, pulling over to help someone was just something everyone does. Ramsey, a volunteer firefighter for close to 10 years, and Brown, a former combat lifesaver instructor, were well-equipped to handle whatever the situation threw at them.
“We had to give IVs in the back of a truck going 45 miles per hour on a gravel road to prepare to go to Iraq,” said Brown. “So, when we saw the car flip, it wasn’t anything that I thought me and my buddy couldn’t handle. We were ready and knew what we were getting ourselves into when we jumped out of the truck.”
When approaching the flipped vehicle Brown and Ramsey were unfazed.
“We were calm and we knew we had to stop,” said Ramsey. “If we didn’t stop, and that woman was seriously injured, or someone else stopped who didn’t know what to do to help, it could have made the situation a lot worse, but we knew what to do to handle the situation.”
Brown encourages everybody to take the time to help if they can, and for military members to take the training they receive seriously.
“Do your civic duty; stop and assess the situation,” said Brown. “If you can help, then help, but if you can’t then let the professionals do their job. Remember, there is a fine line between helping and hurting and knowing when to stop. You just have to have your wits about you to make sure you are not hindering the situation.”
Whether in a town with only one stoplight or in the middle of a bustling city, Brown is prepared to smash glass and break through doors using the training the Air Force has equipped him with to save a life.
| Date Taken: | 03.29.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 03.29.2017 11:10 |
| Story ID: | 228447 |
| Location: | NEWPORT NEWS, VA, US |
| Hometown: | AMELIA, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 20 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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