“Dad, there’s a guy lying on the ground over there!”
A little surprised and completely confused, Springfield Service Technician Chris Tucker wasn’t sure he heard his son correctly as they drove along Villa Road one summer afternoon. But when Chris glanced down a side street and saw someone lying in the middle of the road, the gravity of the situation became crystal clear.
“I immediately turned my truck around and headed back,” said Chris. “It was pretty shocking to see a person lying in the road, but the thing that surprised me the most was that cars were driving around him like you would drive around a pothole. I couldn’t believe it.”
Arriving at the scene, Chris blocked the side street with his truck as his 24-year-old son directed traffic away from the area. As he approached, Chris saw a man lying face-down, on top of his bicycle, in a pool of blood.
“I don’t deal with blood very well, but this was different,” said Chris. “I didn’t have time to think about anything, I just knew someone needed to help this guy. So, I did.”
Pulling from his first aid experience, Chris carefully shifted the man into the recovery position and kept him stable. Passersby started gathering around, and Chris was grateful to have some support. But when a handful of people made suggestions that would have risked the man’s health and safety, Chris knew it was time to speak up.
“A few people offered ideas that could have caused more harm to the victim than good. At that point, I knew someone had to take control of the situation,” said Chris. “Because of my first aid experience, I let the others know I would take the lead until someone more qualified arrived.”
Chris requested an umbrella to keep the man shaded and a towel to put under his head. Chris retrieved a first aid kit from his vehicle and applied pressure to the man’s wounds as he directed another onlooker to call 911. Minutes before the ambulance arrived, the man gained consciousness and started moving around. Chris stayed by his side, keeping him stable and calm until EMS took over.
After speaking with the man’s father, who had arrived shortly after emergency crews, Chris learned the victim was a 47-year-old mentally disabled man who was returning home from the grocery store when he likely lost control of his bike.
Confident the situation was under control, Chris and his son left the scene. But as their afternoon progressed, Chris couldn’t stop thinking about the man, wondering if he’d be OK. Chris decided to visit the hospital to see if he could get an update. Although hospital staff could not disclose the patient’s condition, Chris again ran into the man’s father who shared that his son had a few cracked ribs, lacerations and a wrist sprain, but luckily, nothing life-threatening.
As Chris left the hospital, he was finally able to take a deep breath knowing the man would be OK. Reflecting on the day, Chris believes it was fate that put him in the right place at the right time.
“Everything happens for a reason. My son needed me, so I took a half day of vacation to go pick him up in Columbus. When we were back in Springfield, he wanted to go see his mother who works down the street from where the incident was,” said Chris. “If those chain of events hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been in the area. I truly believe it was fate that took me there that day. No one will ever change my mind about that.”
