He woke up laying on his back with everyone screaming. The EMS team’s quick response and calming presence saved his life.
#EMSHeroesHighlights #RuralEMS #FirstResponders #EMSSavesLives
Submitted by: Loren Moak – Selby, SD
That night in June 2009 Loren Moak, an EMR from Selby, was riding his motorcycle home from an EMS training in Mobridge. He was enjoying the ride, until the deer jumped out in front of him. Loren remembers the collision. “I hit the deer doing 65 mph. I woke up laying on my back and everyone around me was screaming.”
Other EMS members who had attended the training responded quickly. They got Loren in the ambulance and to the hospital for x-rays.
“I’m not sure how much blood I lost, but it was a lot,” Moak remembers. “They knew I had EMS experience and were cautious with me. I respected them for keeping me calm.”
His injuries included broken ribs, collarbone, and scapula plus a crushed spleen. He was bleeding internally and had started turning gray. He was reloaded and the ambulance took off driving fast for Bismarck. They were pushing fluids the whole way and had the surgery team ready and waiting for him.
“Those in the ambulance took care of me and kept me alive! The doctors told me they couldn’t believe I didn’t die.” Moak reflected, “What if it would have taken 20-25 minutes longer? Would I have made it? I am alive today thanks to the quick response from EMS and the work of the emergency doctors and nurses.”
@South Dakota EMS Association @SDAA
