Willcox Border Patrol agents are being credited for saving the life of an injured motorist near Tucson on Wednesday morning.
The agents were first on the scene of a single vehicle accident which occurred near Houghton road on Interstate 10, involving the rollover of a moving truck towing a sedan. Agents applied a service issued tourniquet to the driver’s severely injured right arm until Arizona Department of Public Safety and Tucson Fire department arrived.
Other agents responded to the scene to assist with traffic control. The motorist was taken to a local area hospital for further care.
Tucson Fire Captain Eduardo Carrasco credited the quick actions of the Willcox agents for saving the man’s life. “If not for the correctly placed tourniquet, the patient would have lost too much blood to survive.”
Border Patrol agents often shift from law enforcement to rescue mode in an instant, as agents are the first responders in many remote locations in Arizona where resources are scarce. All Border Patrol agents receive first aid training at the Border Patrol Academy and are issued an Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK). The responding agents in this case utilized their service issued gear to save the man’s life.