First responders honored for rescuing teen from crushed car

At the June meeting of Arlington’s mayor and board of alderman, fire chief David Franks read a story about a life saved and honors earned.

American Medical Response, Arlington Fire Department, Shelby County Fire Department and The Hospital Wing received the Tennessee Emergency Medical Services “Star of Life” award in a May 15 ceremony this year for their actions on Jan. 9, 2014.

Franks told the story of the lifesaving rescue: January 9, 2014, started like any normal cold January day for 16-year-old Rachel Hensley until she lost control of her vehicle and ended up wrapping it around a tree.

The call was dispatched as a motor vehicle collision with possible entrapment. American Medical Response Unit 614, with paramedic Robert Montgomery and AEMT Matt Griffith, was first on the scene. When they pulled up, they were astonished by the mangled mess that was once Hensley’s car. The trunk was in the air and her small body was encased in what was left of the front driver’s seat. She was awake and alert, but her skin color was becoming pale and she was complaining of abdominal pain.

The team immediately suspected internal abdominal injuries and knew that time was of the essence. Additional first responders began to arrive, including:

• Lieutenant and emergency medical technician (EMT) Jeremy Hester, firefighters/EMTs Jason Spry, Chad Wyatt and Wes Carpenter, and driver/EMT Ryan White from Arlington Fire Department Engine 71
• Lieutenant/EMT Danny Spry, driver/EMT Derry Cook and firefighter/EMT Darryl Abrams from Shelby County Fire Department Engine 65
• Firefighter/paramedic Todd Highfill and firefighter/EMT Tammy Baskin, Shelby County Med Squad 5
• Lieutenant/EMT Jeremy Havlik, driver/paramedic Earl Laughlin, frefighter/EMT Jamie Allen and firefighter/paramedic Matt Doyle of Rescue 66

Paramedic Highfill assumed direct patient care. He climbed into the car with Hensley while the others worked to free her from the vehicle. His assessment revealed that, in addition to her other injuries, she had a significant head injury. Her cervical spine was maintained, she was given 100 percent oxygen, and two large-bore IVs were placed. Highfill stayed by her side through the entire process of extrication.

As the extrication began, The Hospital Wing flight crew was dispatched to the scene and briefed on Hensley’s suspected injuries. Being from a small town, Hensley was immediately recognized as a local firefighter/paramedic’s daughter, and the family was notified by the on-scene team.

Midway through the extrication, Hensley’s parents arrived at the scene. Panicked and frightened, they stood back and watched as the medical personnel continued providing care in an attempt to save their daughter.

After the 55-minute extrication, Rachel was safely pulled from the vehicle, placed on a spineboard and transported by American Medical Response (AMR) to a landing site, where The Hospital Wing’s flight nurses Cindy Bailey and Heather Kelley, along with Pilot Richard Smith, were awaiting her arrival.

Hensley was loaded into the helicopter and flown to the Elvis Presley Memorial Trauma Center. She had significant internal injuries that required immediate surgery. After an extensive recovery, she walked away with only memories of the men and women who saved her life on that freezing cold January day.

Hensley and her family have stated that they feel so blessed to have received such amazing care from this team of providers.

Her father said he has done this job practically his whole life and, until it’s you or your own family, you never know what an impact you have made on someone’s life. He said this is proof that the emergency medical services (EMS) system works.

Franks concluded the story by stating, “Every one of these men and women came prepared and did whatever it took to play their role in saving Rachel’s life. Congratulations to American Medical Response, Arlington Fire Department, Shelby County Fire Department and The Hospital Wing.”

At the May 15 ceremony, Hensley was also presented with a “Certificate of Life” that read, “It is hereby certified and solemnly attested that Rachel Hensley survived a life-threatening event on January 9, 2014. This certificate commemorates the first day of the rest of your life.”