Malmstrom cops save life of vehicle accident victim

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Terry Nelson
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs Office
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  A little after midnight on June 6, Staff Sgt. Matthew Meade and Airman 1st Class Joshua Roatch, 341st Missile Security Forces Squadron, were driving northbound on Highway 236, approximately 40 miles north of Lewistown, Mont., to perform a site assessment on one of Malmstrom's launch facilities when they came upon an extended-cab truck that had wrecked and was upside down in the ditch. 

They immediately turned their vehicle around, turned on their emergency flashers and parked so the headlights would illuminate the overturned vehicle. 

"When I first saw the truck, I remember thinking to myself, 'Oh God, I hope no one is in there,'" said Airman Roatch. "Sergeant Meade asked me to go down and check out the accident and when I looked in the window I was shocked at what I saw, I couldn't believe there was a guy in there". 

As soon as Airman Roatch realized there was someone in the truck he called out to Sergeant Meade for help. Sergeant Meade was radioing the accident information to Senior Airman Jonathan Ray, 341st MSFS missile alert facility controller. He ran to the vehicle and tried to make contact with the injured man, who was later identified as Greg Herman from nearby Hilger, Mont. 

Once Sergeant Meade saw the unconscious man pinned in the truck, bleeding from the mouth and nose with deep lacerations to the back of the head and above one eyebrow, his training kicked in. He ran back to his truck, grabbed the first-aid kit and immediately cleared blood from the victim's airway. He then began bandaging the lacerations. 

"I applied a cotton absorbent bandage to the back of his head and also applied gauze to the laceration between the eyebrows," said Sergeant Meade. "After constant pressure, I was able to completely stop the bleeding in both areas." 

While Sergeant Meade was performing first aid, the victim began to regain consciousness, but was in extreme pain and having problems breathing. Sergeant Meade said that this is where another aspect of his training kicked in; maintaining communications with an unconscious accident victim when they become conscious. 

"Once Greg became conscious, I never stopped talking to him and telling him that everything was going to be alright. I asked him general questions, and we talked about his family - all to keep him conscious," Sergeant Meade said. "That, by far, was the hardest part of the situation. Let's just say that he wanted to give up on everything, but I wasn't about to let him." 

While Sergeant Meade was performing first aid on Mr. Herman, Airman Roatch set up a cordon, placed emergency triangles around the scene and radioed critical information to Airman Ray. He also stopped both a north and a south bound vehicle and asked them to go to the nearest house and call 911. 

"Even though I knew Airman Ray had probably contacted emergency services I decided to ask the driver of the first vehicle that was passing by to go to the nearest house and call 911 on a land line, since there was no cell phone service at our location," said Airman Roatch. "And just to be safe, I asked the next vehicle that was traveling the opposite direction to do the same. I just wanted to make sure we got the guy help as fast as we could." 

Airman Ray, who was performing only his second shift as a controller, passed all the information he received from the scene on to local and state law enforcement and emergency services dispatch. 

"My initial reaction to the accident that was being transmitted over the radio was that I needed to immediately phone 911. That is something I think we all are instilled with," said Airman Ray. "I have to say that the simple yet very detailed transmissions from the Sergeant Meade and Airman Roatch made the entire incident go smoothly. They provided me a complete picture of the situation that I could not see which helped me assist the responding units. I absolutely believe that because of this, Sergeant Meade, Airman Roatch and I saved that guy's life." 

At approximately 1:15 a.m. - nearly an hour after Sergeant Meade and Airman Roatch discovered the wreck, an off-duty Winifred County Emergency Medical Technician arrived, provided additional first aid and assumed control of Mr. Herman. Shortly thereafter, an ambulance and a Winifred County fire truck arrived on scene. Medical personnel performed advanced first aid and the fire department employed their emergency extraction equipment (the "Jaws of Life") to cut the doors off the vehicle and free Mr. Herman. 

While the emergency teams were working to free Mr. Herman, 1st Lt. Joshua Croteau and 2nd Lt. Yoshio Adachi, both from the 341st MSFS, arrived on scene and offered their assistance. Sergeant Mead told them he was concerned there could have possibly been an additional passenger and that it may be a good idea to do an extensive search of the surrounding area. 

"When I was performing first aid on the Greg, I kept asking him if there were additional passengers and one time he would say he was alone and then a few minutes later he would say he had a passenger," Sergeant Meade said. "I just wanted to make sure there weren't any other victims. I knew he was confused and disorientated, so I wanted to search the area to be sure." 

Sergeant Meade, Airman Roatch, Lieutenants Croteau and Adachi conducted a thorough search of the area and fortunately did not find any other victims. They stayed at the scene and continued to direct traffic, hold spotlights and assist the local medical and fire department until Mr. Herman was placed into the ambulance and transported to the hospital in Lewistown at approximately 2 a.m. 

"I sustained an interior concussion and still do not remember a thing about that night," said Mr. Herman. "The doctors tell me that if the Air Force guys would not have came along and provided the medical attention they did, I would not be here today." 

Mr. Herman said he has been to the accident scene twice since the accident, hoping that by visiting the scene it would jog his memory, but so far he still can't remember anything. After seeing his totaled truck, he said he can't believe he's alive. 

"I want to say thank you, thank you very much to Sergeant Meade, Airman Roatch and Senior Airman Ray for all you did for me," Mr. Herman said.