Army Guardsmen aid family after vehicle rollover accident

By Staff Sgt. Eric McDonoughApril 6, 2016

Army Guardsmen aid family after vehicle rollover accident
Soldiers with the 1345 Transportation Company stopped at the scene of a vehicle rollover accident recently. Using skills and experience from their time in the Oklahoma Army National Guard, they administered emergency medical care to four passengers i... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - Several Oklahoma Army National Guard Soldiers assisted civilians after a rollover vehicle accident on State Highway 152 in Oklahoma City, recently.

Ten Soldiers with the 1345 Transportation Company stationed in Mustang, Oklahoma, stopped at the scene of a one vehicle accident.

According to Ashley Speicher of Oklahoma City, the mother of one of the passengers, her daughter Taylor Olivia and son-in-law Nick Olivia were ejected when their SUV rolled six times covering a distance of 150 yards. Their two children wore seat belts at the time of the accident and remained in the vehicle. The family dog was also ejected.

"If the Soldiers hadn't stopped, my daughter wouldn't be here," Speicher said.

Staff Sgt. Chad Chudoba, Staff Sgt. Jamee Gaines, Spc. Xavier Langston Fingers, Sgt. Ashley Rios, and Sgt. Kevin White performed emergency first-aid while Staff Sgt. Jerod Hearrell coordinated with 911, EMSA dispatchers, and other emergency responders.

Sgt. David Scott, Sgt. Luke Sylvester, Sgt. Jimmy Vaughn and Spc. Norris White extracted the two children from the vehicle and helped maintain control of the situation while assisting with emergency care.

"We used what we had available," said Hearrell of Ada, Oklahoma. "At one point, Sgt. Rios was using a t-shirt and PT belt as an improvised compression bandage."

Upon arrival, the Soldiers immediately put years of military experience and hours of emergency medical training into practice.

"I really do feel that Combat Life Saver training helped a lot," said Chudoba of Del City, Oklahoma.

All victims of the accident were taken to the OU Medical Center. The parents were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, both continue on the road to recovery. Both children were in stable condition. The family's dog died as a result of injuries sustained during the accident.