Eagle Scouts first on scene of rollover accident along Interstate 95

“Helping other people at all times” includes those times you don’t anticipate.

So when two Eagle Scouts and an assistant Scout executive came across the scene of a single-car rollover accident on Thursday, June 16, in Georgia, there was never a question of what they would do. They leapt into action to help the injured driver until emergency workers arrived.

It had been raining hard along this stretch of Interstate 95 near the Georgia coast. The driver of a white Toyota lost control of his vehicle, went across three lanes, hit a guard rail and flipped multiple times down an embankment.

The driver — the only person in the vehicle — was ejected. He had injuries to his head, elbow, leg and ankle.

Coastal Georgia Council Assistant Scout Executive Susie Ryan Curtis and two district executives — both Eagle Scouts — were driving to visit Black Creek Scout Reservation when they saw the accident.

The district executives jumped out of the car and climbed down to where they could help the driver. The car was still smoking, and debris from the accident covered the area.

Using skills learned in Scouting, Ryan Barnes and Jed Hewitt stabilized the driver’s cervical spine, used compression holds to control bleeding and reassured the victim until paramedics and emergency personnel arrived.

The helped transport the driver up the embankment on a stretcher to the waiting ambulance. (The current condition of the driver was not immediately available.)

“We were fortunate enough to be at the right place at the right time,” Barnes said. “We are holding our heads high and thanking God for the best possible outcome.”

Robert Tullar, another Eagle Scout who arrived on the scene later, watched Barnes and Hewitt react.

“I can’t tell you how professional and caring Ryan and Jed were,” he said. “They never left him and did an amazing job in keeping everyone calm.”

More stories of heroic Scouts

For more stories of Scouts helping others, read Scouts in Action in Boys’ Life magazine.

Photos via Susie Ryan Curtis. Story via Barbara Foley.