CERT in Action!
West Boylston, MA CERT Member Assists Car Crash Victim
In November 2008, West Boylston, MA CERT member and regional coordinator Jodi Sarkisian was driving to dinner when she came across a two-vehicle accident. The accident left one car facing the opposite direction and another woman trapped in her car, which was knocked off the road into an embankment. An off-duty firefighter arrived on the scene and parked his car in the road to alert approaching motorists there was an accident ahead, while Sarkisian carefully approached the other vehicle.
The woman inside was complaining of soreness in her neck. Drawing upon her CERT training, Sarkisian supported the woman's neck using a C-spine hold until firefighters arrived and stabilized the woman, loaded her onto a backboard, and removed her from the car.
"As they were loading her into the ambulance, she was holding my hand," Sarkisian said. "She just burst into tears and thanked me. A firefighter asked me what town I was a paramedic for, and, when I told him I was a CERT member, he said, 'You did a great job.' I would've never known how to do half the stuff I did if it wasn't for CERT."
The experience has inspired Sarkisian to take EMT classes this fall.
For more information, please contact Matt Shircliff, mshircliff@westboylstonfire.org.