Nurse of the Week: SUNY Delhi Nursing Student Keara Lawson Treats Crash Victim On Way to Clinical Rotations

Our Nurse of the Week is Keara Lawson, a nursing student at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Delhi who was driving from Delhi to Stamford for her clinical placement when she witnessed an accident and stopped to help the crash victim. The quick-thinking student received a real-life lesson in first response that she will carry with her for the rest of her career.

At 6:15 AM on a morning in October, the sun was not yet up as Lawson was driving herself and three fellow nursing students through cold rain when the car ahead of her slowed down before a vehicle swerved into her lane. Lawson recalls seeing the oncoming vehicle hit something before a huge explosion happened and something on fire flew into the ditch.

Lawson pulled over and got out as the driver also stepped out of his vehicle, in shock and experiencing tunnel vision. He told the nursing students they needed to call 911 because he had just hit a woman. The driver ran into the ditch and pulled a woman out of the fire and began rolling her in the dirt.

According to TheDailyStar.com, state troopers reported that a woman had been walking southbound holding a gas can, and when she was struck, the gas can exploded. Lawson saw the woman on the ground, and the driver and nursing students quickly ran over to help comfort her and keep her conscious until paramedics arrived.

Lawson recalls, “We had nothing but our textbooks, stethoscopes and our brains. [The paramedics] were really thankful that we were able to give them information so they knew exactly what to do when they got there.”

Lawson and her classmates were only 10 weeks into their first year of nursing school, but this is an experience they will carry with them for the rest of their careers. She felt a passion and instinct to help, assuring her that she’s pursuing the right career path. To learn more about SUNY Delhi nursing student Keara Lawson who treated a crash victim on her way to her clinical rotations, visit here.