Sheppard Staff Sgt. aids victims of high-speed car crash Published Oct. 14, 2016 By 2nd Lt. Jacqueline Jastrzebski 82nd Training Wing Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Just over a month after two Airmen from the 82nd Medical Group helped rescue a man from a car accident, a Staff Sergeant from the same group assisted in a separate accident. On Sept. 23, 2016, Staff Sgt. Hilton Gonzalez, flight chief of Tricare operations and patient administration, was traveling on Highway 287 when he witnessed a head-on collision between two vehicles. “It was like something you see in the movies, but you never expect it to happen right in front of you. I knew I had to get out and help,” said Gonzalez. He prepared himself for the worst as he approached the scene of the accident, noting that the cars were traveling at approximately 75 mph before they collided. “One of the cars did a full flip before landing on its wheels again. After seeing the crash, I wasn’t sure that everyone was going to be alive,” recalls Gonzalez. Inside the first vehicle he found a female driver who had been thrown half-way onto the passenger’s seat. “Her leg was pinned under the steering wheel. I made sure that she kept still in case she had a spinal injury.” Gonzalez did all that he could to keep the woman calm and comfortable, but noted that she was in rough shape. “I thought wow, I’m glad she’s alive but she must have some nasty injuries,” he said. After checking on the driver from the second car, who had very minor injuries, Gonzalez aided in directing traffic until police and paramedics arrived at the scene. A medical evacuation helicopter transported the woman to the nearest hospital. Day to day, Staff Sgt. Gonzalez oversees the handling of medical records, but he is no stranger to helping out during real world emergencies. While stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in 2012, Gonzalez helped save the life of a choking infant. “The mother froze up because she didn’t know what to do. I grabbed the baby, started infant CPR, and was able to free the airway.” When asked about his unwavering willingness to help others, Gonzalez said, “I like to think that most people would be willing to help, but as military members we have training that makes us more confident and ready to act.” Sheppard Air Force Base is certainly a safer community because of dedicated Airmen like Staff Sgt. Gonzalez and his impulse to lend a hand in the face of life’s many accidents.