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Goodfellow students rescue infant from vehicle accident

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Devin Boyer
  • 17th Training Wing Public Affairs
SAN ANGELO, Texas --  Goodfellow Air Force Base officers rescued an 8-month-old girl from a wrecked single cab pickup at the intersection of South Bryant Boulevard and South Jackson Street Oct. 9.

On their way to morning physical training, 2nd Lts. Emily M. Bohnenkamp and Andrew Lim, 315th Training Squadron students, spotted a tractor-trailer in the middle of the intersection. After noticing a crushed Chevrolet S-10 at the scene, they decided to investigate.

Lim walked up to the driver's side door to find a woman behind the wheel. Unable to pry the door open, he reached over from the passenger's side to check her pulse making an unexpected discovery.

A baby was in a car seat hidden beneath the passenger's air bag, he said.

Having been trained as an emergency medical technician, he was able to confirm that the mother had no pulse. He then checked the baby for signs of life.

"The baby wasn't really reacting or anything at first...but then when I was trying to work with the baby, [she] started crying," said Lim.

Lim remembered from his EMT training that in severe accidents, keeping the baby immobilized by taking out the entire car seat was the best thing to do. However, the seat would not budge and the cab began filling up with smoke.

"When I was trying to pull the baby out and I saw the smoke come into the cab, my life kind of flashed before my eyes," he said.

In fear that the truck would catch fire, Lim pulled the baby out of the car seat and away from the wreckage as fast as he could to get her to safety.

While Lim assessed the situation, Bohnenkamp called 911.

"They already had cars coming, so I got off the phone and tried to talk to the truck driver who was walking around in shock," said Bohnenkamp.

The 315th TRS students handled the situation with a calm mindset and used basic self-aid and buddy care skills, training that all military members learn throughout their career.

When asked about advice for other service members who might find themselves in a similar situation, Lim simply stated, "Definitely take SABC seriously."

According to the San Angelo Police Department news release, the infant was transported to Shannon Medical Center with undisclosed injuries.