A screech then a crash began an unexpected journey last Thursday. The crash scene featured a red pickup truck on its side and a silver sedan with its front smashed in. Dirt and debris covered the south lanes of Little Egypt Road. The accident was steps from where a group of young kids were playing football. As soon as the first screech was heard, heads turned from practice to the vehicles and the coaches ran to render aide.
One Wildkat was a part of that group of coaches running towards the crash: senior David Ramirez.
“My first thought was that it was a small rear-end crash, but once I saw all of my players’ reactions. I turned my head quickly and saw the truck spin over and fall on its side,” he said.
With his past health science experience and his current enrollment in the Pharmacy Tech program, Ramirez knows one second can make the difference between life and death, making him the perfect bystander for when disaster strikes.
“Being in the health science pathway kind of gave me a sense that I should go that way to make sure everyone is okay,” Ramirez said. “I also just wanted to be a role model for all the kids, as well as for all the other parents out there. You should always go help rather than do nothing.”
His teacher and the Wildkat community is not shocked by Ramirez’s actions.
“I cannot express how proud I am of David,” health science teacher Katrina King said. “His actions reflect the character, compassion and leadership we strive to instill in our students. He is currently enrolled in the pharmacy class this year, and this situation truly exemplifies the kind of healthcare-minded professionalism and selflessness we hope to see in our program.”
During emergency situations, a quick and calm reaction is necessary to maintain control of the situation and ensure safety as much as possible.
“Our quick reaction time allowed for everybody to be out in under five minutes,” Ramirez said. “It was crazy, the Dad was hanging from the top of the truck in the driver’s seat with his seatbelt still on. The son was in the passenger seat window, and we had to rip it off to help them out.”
Unfortunately, great reactions can’t stop bad people. The passenger of the silver sedan that hit and ultimately flipped the red pickup ran on foot as soon as the car came to a stop.
“Initially, I thought he was walking away, and I didn’t want him to pass out anywhere, so I followed him,” Ramirez said. “Once he started to get further from the crash, I noticed he was going to run based on his body movements.”
While justice always deserves to be served, sometimes it is best left for the professionals.
“I knew that I needed to go after him, so he didn’t get away and the cops could talk to him,” Ramirez said. “But I was informed by the other parents to just let him go, and the police will find him later. It wasn’t worth being harmed.”
Despite the harsh and tragic scene, the community rushed over to help. Strangers banded together to help the injured passengers.
“It was amazing to see people from my community rush over in under one minute before any first responder was able to arrive,” Ramirez said. “I’m so thankful that the kids were able to see all the parents and coaches setting a good example of how a situation like that should go. So when it happens to them, they don’t hesitate to help.”
