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AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy — In a moment, an ordinary drive to work became an emergency.
On the morning of Aug. 26, U.S. Air Force Tech. Sgt. Danielle Smith, 31st Operational Medical Readiness Squadron medical technician, witnessed a vehicle accident in her Italian community. The car hit a utility pole and overturned. When the car finally came to a rest, Smith immediately thought of the person inside.
Her mind raced with questions, but those questions were followed by action.
“As a flight and operational medical technician, we are trained to respond to medical emergencies, assess patients and provide care in unpredictable situations,” Smith said. “When I witnessed the accident, my first thought was whether the driver was injured and what I could do to help until emergency services arrived.”
The wreckage gave little indi-cation of what was going on inside the vehicle. For Smith, her training took over.
“Initially I was concerned because of the severity of the accident,” Smith said. “I knew there was a possibility that the driver could have sustained serious injuries.”
In those moments, Smith had no time to think about what could go wrong, only what she could do to help.
“I moved the driver away from the vehicle and surrounding debris and had him lie down in a safe location,” Smith said. “The driver spoke English, so I obtained his permission to lift his shirt and assess him for any obvious major bleeding or injuries.”
Nearly 18 years of experience as an Air Force medical technician prepared her to respond in a situation that called for immediate action.
“Additional residents stopped to assist while we waited for emergency services and local emergency personnel arrived approximately 10 minutes later,” Smith said. “I am grateful I was in the right place at the right time and had the training to assist.”
Upon inspection by local authorities, aeromedical evacuation was requested, and the driver was transported by air to the hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
“Emergency services informed us that the victim had a possible chest and latent head injury,” Smith said.
The driver survived; Smith’s quick actions are a reminder that an Airman’s skills extend beyond the workplace. She is a medical professional both on and off duty.
“Being a medic isn’t just what I do when I’m in uniform,” Smith said. “It’s who I am when someone needs help.”
