Decatur, Ill. – Four Illinois Army National Guard medics provided emergency assistance to an injured motorcyclist on a Michigan highway while returning from a training mission.
According to Sgt. Matt Swope of the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office, a man was riding a three-wheeled trike when a rear wheel malfunctioned, causing him to be thrown from the vehicle. The incident occurred outside Camp Grayling during the Northern Strike exercise.
Sgt. Summer Flores and her team—Spc. Joel Ocon, Spc. Melissa Gomez, and Spc. Simon Rupniewski—were driving by when they spotted debris on the highway and stopped to help. They, along with a civilian doctor, stabilized the unconscious motorcyclist using a spine board, applied a pelvic binder, and treated a head laceration.
Emergency medical services arrived shortly after the medics initiated care. “By the time the paramedics arrived, the soldiers had stabilized the motorcyclist,” Swope said, confirming the man is now alive and conscious.
Illinois National Guard leadership praised the medics for their quick response. “They exercised their training, and when this real-life emergency happened, they were confident enough to go do their job,” said Maj. Gen. Rodney Boyd, Adjutant General of Illinois.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and further details are expected to emerge as authorities continue their assessment.