HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Lisa Nowinski was returning to the Youth Center from a lunch break and Josh Gomez was leaving work when the two child and youth center assistants came upon a man who had been hit by a moving vehicle in a crosswalk last month.
When Nowinski saw the man lying in the street at 6th Street and Liberty Way near the Youth Center, she pulled over and jumped out of her car to see if she could help. At about the same time, Gomez rushed in having noticed the commotion and called 9-1-1.
“I looked at his head and realized he was bleeding pretty heavily,” said Nowinski, who is certified in first aid and CPR because of her job working with children. “I went straight into helping mode.”
With limited resources at her disposal, Nowinski improvised by grabbing a hoodie from her vehicle, which she used to apply pressure to the man’s head wound.
While Nowinski tended to his wound, Gomez relayed the man’s condition to the 9-1-1 dispatcher and passed on additional first aid instructions until paramedics arrived.
Nowinski said she is “grateful for her training.”
“It was nice to be able to focus on helping him, but also have Josh, a co-worker I trust and admire, calmly helping me,” she said.
Nowinski and Gomez shared the credit with others.
Bystanders at the scene including Cherokee Johnson, Sarah Wheelwright, Kayla Hoffman, and Drew Ulsh, also Youth Center staff, assisted in retrieving a first aid kit, controlling traffic, and tending to the man’s wife who was present during the accident, but not injured.
In addition to his head wound, the man sustained other injuries as well and was transported to the hospital by ambulance. Nowinksi and Gomez learned recently he was making a full recovery.
“I’m relieved he’s recovering and thankful that we were able to help him,” Gomez said.
Nowinski agreed with her co-worker.
“I’m glad that he’s okay,” she said. “It was the right place at the right time that we were there.”
Maj. Anthony Mir, 75th Force Support Squadron commander, applauded the actions of the Youth Center’s staff.
“Due to the quick and calm response of Lisa Nowinski and Josh Gomez, the scene was quickly assessed and controlled,” Mir said. “They ran into a situation not knowing what happened and helped until emergency personnel could arrive on scene.”