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The Cuban driver lost control of his vehicle, and the doctors' truck rolled several times before crashing through the south eastern perimeter fence at Soto Cano AB. (US. Air Force photo)
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U.S. medics aid injured
Cuban doctors
1st Lt Ali Tedesco and Tech. Sgt. Joel Langton
Joint Task Force-Bravo Public Affairs
SOTO CANO AIR BASE, Honduras --U.S. Soldiers and Airmen here treated five Cuban citizens when their car crashed through the base's perimeter fence recently.
At approximately 6:15 a.m., the driver lost control of the car and ran off the road, rolling the vehicle several times and ultimately crashing through Soto Cano Air Base's perimeter fence.
"We were not expecting a mass casualty to happen in a peaceful environment," said 1st Lt. Michelle Sredinski, an emergency room nurse deployed here from The United States Air Force Academy 10th Medical Group. "But with our intense preparation through base mass casualty exercises and expeditionary medical support system (EMEDS) training, we were more than ready to handle any situation that could occur."
The victims are among 300 Cuban medical personnel assigned in Honduras and were traveling to Comayagua from Tegucigalpa at the time of the crash. Soto Cano AB personnel responded quickly, as Joint Security Forces secured the scene and Medical Element troops triaged the patients.
"Cuban doctors told us that if it hadn't been for the rapid SCAB response, they didn't think all of the injured would have made it," said Senior Master Sgt. Edgar Torres, Joint Security Forces Operations superintendent.
One victim was immediately transferred from the accident scene to a local hospital thanks to a Red Cross vehicle passing by. The four remaining patients were taken to Joint Task Force-Bravo's emergency room, where they were immediately treated and stabilized for their injuries. It was quickly determined that the four men needed to be air-evacuated to a Tegucigalpa hospital.
"I feel a great deal of praise needs to go to those firefighters and medical personnel who responded to the scene," said Capt. Tami Childers, a registered nurse also deployed from the Air Force Academy. "If it wasn't for their skillful pre-hospital care, the outcome would have been very different."
By 8:30 a.m. Soldiers from JTF-Bravo's 1-228th Aviation regiment had lifted off with the first two victims in a UH-60 MEDEVAC helicopter en route to Tegucigalpa, returning to the base to transport the remaining two men.
The teamwork involved in the accident response was top-notch.
"I definitely noticed that although we are from different service branches and countries, when push comes to shove, we work as one," said Childers. "We are still receiving thanks from the Cuban medical team, which in some small way I feel has helped strengthen our relations."
Two of the five were released from the hospital Wednesday and the other three are making great strides in recovery, according to Dr. Miguel Coello, MEDEL liaison officer.
All have since been released to Cuba . All but one is expected to make a full recovery, an official said.
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