Hospital, first responders shine on tragic day

The planners and designers of North Big Horn Hospital’s expanded state of the art emergency room surely had in mind a scenario like that which unfolded a week ago when four young men were involved in a horrific incident where fireworks went off inside a moving vehicle on the Fourth of July, severely burning all four.

Perhaps some might have wondered if the large, multifaceted space was really needed. Was it overbuilt for a small hospital?

Four young men and their families would answer that question emphatically: It was absolutely needed.

The new emergency department facility was more than up to the task, manned by the skilled hospital providers and staff members who rushed in on a holiday to care for the victims. By all accounts, the ER crew worked like a well-oiled machine to care for the young men. A parking lot was cleared so an extra medical helicopter could land.

One or two of the burned men were in dire straits, and there’s a strong belief that the new facility, with multiple bays, top equipment and room for providers to move from place to place and communicate saved lives.

It all started when the fireworks erupted inside a sedan cruising down the highway just west of Cowley. After the car skidded to a stop as the four occupants scrambled for their lives, citizens jumped in quickly to help, getting the four away from the burning car and providing initial aid.

Professional first responders arrived shortly, including an off-duty Sheriff Ken Blackburn, who turned to his medical training at the scene. The North Big Horn Hospital ambulance crew, sheriff’s deputies and Lovell volunteer firemen arrived and jumped to the aid of the victims. Citizen responders stayed to help, as well.

It was incredibly intense, but the responders were calm and encouraging, putting their skill and training to work.

We’re not sure we’ve ever been prouder of the level of emergency and medical care provided right here in North Big Horn County, though our first responders have come through time and time again over the years.

From the search and rescue squad to firemen and law enforcement officers, and from the ambulance crew to the docs, nurses and staff members at the hospital, we’re in excellent hands.

Emergency services are absolutely vital, proven by the tree blowdown incident on the mountain on June 28, the Fourth of July fireworks horror and two semi-truck crashes just this week. As a community, we must take the position that all of this vital work is well worth the tax dollars spent. Lives are saved over and over again. And we implore the State of Wyoming to properly fund all emergency services, especially our short-staffed and overworked community ambulance crews, so that such critical care can be provided for years to come.