By Sarah Roebuck
SA国际传媒
LOUISVILLE, Ky. 鈥� When Paramedic Nate Witek arrived at the chaotic scene of a Louisville construction site collapse, he was met with an unimaginable sight 鈥� a worker buried up to his neck in dirt, his chest slowly compressing under the weight of the earth. The race to save a life had begun.
Witek was the first one on the scene to a call about a worker trapped in a trench collapse on Nov. 14, . But when Witek reached the scene, he quickly realized this was no ordinary rescue as the man was buried in 10 feet of debris.
Crews from Louisville Metro EMS, Louisville Fire Department and specialized rescue teams worked in tandem to stabilize the scene. Firefighters managed to uncover the worker鈥檚 arm and head, creating just enough space for Witek to place what he described as the best IV of his five-year career, .
It was through that IV that Witek delivered medication to prevent crush syndrome, a life-threatening condition where intense pressure causes muscle breakdown, releasing toxins into the bloodstream, according to WHAS.
Witek was by the man鈥檚 side for nearly eight of the nine hours it took to complete the rescue. During the hours he spent by the man鈥檚 side, Witek provided treatment for pain, hypothermia and dehydration, WAVE reported.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 my patient,鈥� Witek told WAVE. 鈥淚 was there first on scene. I was going to be there the whole time at the hospital. You name it, I鈥檓 there for him. That鈥檚 my job. That鈥檚 my role. That鈥檚 why I decided to be a paramedic, to help people.鈥�
Witek recalled facing significant personal risk throughout the rescue, WAVE reported. As firefighters worked to stabilize the site and prevent a cave-in, dirt and rocks rained down on him from above.
鈥淭he gravel just kept鈥� the more you step the more would fall down and you lose your footing,鈥� he told WAVE. 鈥淎nd then you see, like in the movies, you see it falling from the sky like from the ceiling. So, a bunch of debris kept hitting my helmet and landing on my arm.鈥�
Once the worker was freed from debris, Witek accompanied the construction worker in the ambulance to the hospital, ensuring his care remained uninterrupted.