When I wasn't performing my centurion's duties in the Great City, I volunteered in my suburban community as a paramedic/volunteer firefighter....I know what you are thinking adrenaline junkie, and well I suppose you are right!

Back to the story....

On one particular rainy night we received a call for a 10-16 motor vehicle accident on a major highway....one of those that highway+rain=major trauma....

That night the equation proved correct.

Arriving on the scene we observed a small 2 door car that had rolled several times and wrapped itself around a rather large tree. The smell of leaking gas as we approached was overwhelming.
The darkness at night time crashes always magnified the horror..

As the rescue squad charged a line and readied the Hurst tool for the complicated extrication, my partner that night, Dave and I crawled about the wreck to assess the victims...all the while racing to beat that important golden hour in trauma cases....

We found 3 teenagers....one female w/head and face trauma in the front passenger seat , one male driver no obvious injuries but pinned, and a male passenger inthe back seat
all wore no seatbelts, all were unconscious...

As we stabilized the pts, obtained vitals and started large bor 16 gageIV, bevel up! of ringers lac., we decided to call for life flight....

In the darkness it appeared that the female passanger had suffered a partial avulsion of her face....which appeared to be still on the shadderd windshield....

First we had to extricate her, package her and get her on life flight....she needed stabilization at the ER, that was priority....

As life flight left....we were left with the grim task of packing her avulsed face for ground transport

At this time other volunteers were arriving at the scene in response for the additional personal needed at the scene call we requested

Still dark, rainy and just horrible scene, I got lighting into the car as arguments ensued as to who would package....no one wanted to admit they were afraid....

I suddenly noticed a pizza box on the front of the car floor...( a cheezy NY pizza) Upon further investigation....yup I determined that while the pt. had a bleeding head/face injuries....her face was intact....it was just the pizza topping stuck to the shattered windshield!

What a relief....do you think I was in a rush to share this with my crew????? NOT!