Perhaps it was fate that a man’s pickup truck got trapped in rising floodwaters unleashed by Hurricane Francine not far from where Miles Crawford lives.
The 39-year-old off-duty emergency room nurse is professionally trained in saving lives — quickly — and that’s exactly what he did the moment he saw what was happening Wednesday night in his New Orleans neighborhood.
Crawford grabbed a hammer from his house and ran to the underpass where the truck was stuck, wading through swirling waist-high water to reach the driver. When he got there, he saw that the water was already up to the man’s head. There was no time to waste.
He told the driver to move to the back of the truck’s cab since the front end of the pickup was angled down in deeper water. Gripping the hammer, he smashed out the back window and pulled the man out, at one point grabbing him just as he began to fall into the rushing water.
About 10 minutes later, the pickup was fully submerged.
Crawford, an ER nurse at University Medical Center, said he got out of the water as soon as the man was safe and never did get his name. Crawford cut his hand in the rescue — a TV station that filmed it showed him wearing a large bandage — but that was not a big deal for someone used to trauma.
“It’s just second nature, I guess, being a nurse, you just go in and get it done, right?” Crawford told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday. “I just had to get him out of there.”
In times of crisis, heroes often emerge from unexpected places. Such was the case when an ER nurse found herself in the midst of a devastating hurricane, and instinctively sprang into action to rescue a man trapped in floodwaters.
The nurse, who wishes to remain anonymous, was on her way home from a long shift at the hospital when she heard reports of a rapidly approaching hurricane. Despite the warnings to stay off the roads, she knew that her skills as a nurse could be invaluable in a time of crisis. So, she made the decision to head towards the affected area to offer her assistance.
As she arrived at the scene, she was met with chaos and destruction. The floodwaters were rising rapidly, and people were scrambling to find safety. It was then that she heard cries for help coming from a nearby building that was quickly being engulfed by the rising waters.
Without hesitation, the nurse waded into the floodwaters, using her medical training to assess the situation and determine the best course of action. She spotted a man clinging to a piece of debris, struggling to keep his head above water. With quick thinking and steady hands, she was able to reach him and pull him to safety.
The man, who was in shock and suffering from hypothermia, was grateful for the nurse’s quick actions. She immediately began administering first aid, using whatever supplies she had on hand to stabilize his condition until help could arrive.
In the midst of the chaos and devastation, the nurse’s actions stood out as a beacon of hope and humanity. Her selfless bravery and unwavering dedication to helping others in need serve as a reminder of the incredible impact that one person can have in times of crisis.
As the storm passed and the floodwaters receded, the nurse returned to her job at the hospital, where she continued to care for those in need with the same level of compassion and skill that she had demonstrated during the hurricane. Her actions serve as a powerful example of the extraordinary courage and resilience that can be found in the hearts of those who choose to serve others in times of need.
In the end, the nurse’s heroic actions were not just a result of her training and experience, but also a reflection of her innate sense of duty and compassion. She truly embodies the spirit of a hero, and her story serves as a reminder of the incredible impact that one person can have in the face of adversity.
