Catching Up - Part 3: An Unexpected Disaster

We finally get to the end of Day 1 and the last part of the "Catching Up" series.  We've had the tour.  The afternoon was quiet.  We swam in the pool.  We hid from the sun.  As for why it took so long to catch up on the Day 1 posts, around 4p.m. Scott and Janet drive up and announce that there's been a terrible accident with another missionary group.  Dave Holder immediately grabs his med kit and I, with no medical supplies to grab (not that I would really know what to do with them) reach for my camera.  Don Hales follows us out the door and Janet briefs us on the way.

A large group of students from Hannibal-LaGrange College in Missouri (see their article here), working with the Haiti-based missionary organization, Blessing Hearts International, was attending church and distributing food in some villages in the mountains.  As they were making their way down the rugged terrain, their truck sputtered out, and everything, including the brakes, quit working.  There were 25 to 30 people, mostly students, in the back of this large open-bed truck.  As the vehicle picked up speed, the driver essentially had to decide to crash into the hill on his right, or roll down the cliff to his left.  He did what I think we all would have done and chose to steer into the hill, hoping the vehicle would come to an abrupt halt.  The pitch of the hill and the speed of the truck wouldn't allow that and caused the vehicle to roll as it hit the incline.  Every person seated in the back was literally thrown into the air.

According to one of the victims I interviewed, there were people on the scene immediately and they were overwhelmed by the response and by how quickly they found themselves in a nearby clinic.  The worst cases were taken to Port Au Prince where they were seen by a medical team from the University of Miami.  Those that were left found themselves being treated by volunteers, some medically trained, some not, and other missionaries in a clinic ill-equipped to respond to such a massive casualty event.  This is where Dave, Don, and myself got involved.  This is the scene as we found it:

WARNING - I've posted the rest of the images online, but there are many that may not be suitable for children, or adults if you are uneasy about this sort of thing.  If you would like to view the entire album, it's available HERE.

Dave immediately sprang into action triaging patients; many hadn't been seen at all when we first arrived.  After things settled a bit, Dave focused on a student named Carrie who had a severe laceration on the back of her head.  Dave administered an IV and examined the rest of her body for injuries before giving her a haircut she wasn't expecting to get that day.  A local Haitian doctor joined him, and after doing their best to numb the area, the doctor sutured the wound while Dave assisted.  Carrie was coherent throughout the procedure, very thirsty, though not allowed to drink, and very concerned about a girl name Chris, "She better be OK; she has kids."  Chris had already been evacuated with the worst of the group and we had no information to offer her scared friend.

Don turned his attention to the first person he found who wasn't being treated, Seth, who was bloody over much of his body but seemed to be fine internally.  Don went to dressing and redressing the severe road rash he had on his head, shoulders, back and leg. He worked to get the wounds clean while doing his best to minimize the pain.  While Don was taking care of him, Seth was kind enough to share his story with me, which is how I was able to tell all of you what happened.  I also captured all of this on film, and you will get to hear from Seth and some others when we debrief this entire trip at Explore Church sometime in the next couple of months.

While Dave and Don worked on injuries, I helped where I could, wiping blood from patients' eyes, running gauze and bandages to doctors and volunteers, trying to keep working areas somewhat clean, and offering water to patients who were allowed to drink.  Also, of course, I did my best to document the event so people at home might understand that missionary work isn't all swimming pools and gospel tracts.  There are very dangerous, often life-threatening conditions that people are willing to face in order to fulfill not only the first and greatest commandment God ever dropped on us, which is to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, and mind, but also a second, which is like the first, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

Who is God asking you to step out in faith and love?

Post comments and prayers below.