Off-duty firefighter on I-30 helps Mesquite paramedics save teen's life: 'One of those miraculous things'
Off-duty firefighter helps save teen's life
A Mesquite mother is grateful for a chance encounter on Interstate 30 that may have saved her 13-year-old son’s life. Here's what happened.
MESQUITE, Texas - A Mesquite mother is grateful for a chance encounter on Interstate 30 that may have saved her 13-year-old son’s life.
When her son began having a seizure in the back of an ambulance, an off-duty paramedic recognized something was wrong and pulled over to help.
Mesquite teen rushed to the hospital
What Happened:
Brenda Mesa’s 13-year-old son, Jose, was hit by a pickup truck this past Friday while riding his bike in front of their home on Dumont Drive in Mesquite.
"I seen he had the head injury, and I didn’t want him to move anymore. So, I held on to him until the paramedics got here," she said.
Mesquite paramedics Justin McConnaughy and Jack London responded to the call.
"I was driving originally, taking him to the hospital in 5 p.m. traffic going to Children’s out there," McConnaughy said.
"About halfway, 10 minutes into the drive, my son started having his first seizure, and he started vomiting and choking," Mesa said.
"I yelled through the window to my driver. I said, ‘Justin, pull over. I need you back here,’" London said.
That’s where Irving firefighter Josh Sanchez comes into the story.
Irving firefighter jumps into action
What Happened:
Sanchez was off duty and headed to dinner with his wife this past Friday evening. They just happened to be behind the Mesquite Fire-Rescue ambulance on Interstate 30.
When he saw the ambulance pull over, he knew something was wrong.
"Typically, an ambulance won’t stop in the middle of the highway when they’re running lights and sirens trying to get to the hospital unless they really need help with something," Sanchez said.
The two Mesquite paramedics recalled hearing someone banging on the back of the ambulance door as they were focusing on their patient.
"I don’t even know if I introduced my name to them. I just told them, ‘Firefighter paramedic from Irving. Ya’ll need some help?’" Sanchez said.
"I said, ‘Yes sir we need your help.’ He asked if he could drive. He knew where we were going," McConnaughy said.
The off-duty Irving firefighter ended up driving the Mesquite ambulance to the hospital while the Mesquite paramedics desperately worked to save Mesa’s son’s life.
Mesquite teen home recovering
What they're saying:
Mesa truly believes Sanchez, McConnaughy, and London saved her son’s life.
"My son had stopped breathing. He wasn’t breathing, and those seconds counted so much for my son that they were able to get him there quickly and get him intubated so that he could start having oxygen to his brain," she said.
He was in critical condition for a time and in a medically induced coma. Now he’s home recovering.
"I do not remember what happened. I only remember waking up in the hospital. I really thought I was dreaming. But I was not dreaming," Jose Mesa said.
"It was one of those miraculous things that happened. Couldn’t have planned it myself. By the time we got to the hospital and with the trauma team there, he was gone," London said.
"I was glad the medics from Mesquite that they allowed me to help," Sanchez said.
"I feel like God had his hand in all this because to me he’s an angel who came out of nowhere and saved my son’s life. And for that I will forever be grateful," Mesa said.
The Source: FOX 4's Shaun Rabb talked to all three paramedics, the 13-year-old Mesquite boy, and his mom about what happened.