As I was driving down Veterans, I came upon a big truck that had just flipped over. I pulled over to help and I saw that the truck was on fire. There were several men who were trying to tear open the truck so they can get the driver out. As the fire spread, they started throwing dirt that had spilled out of the truck’s cargo to try to extinguish the flames. As I was approaching the truck a woman with a CPR kit beat me to it and I remember thinking “Thank God there’s another medical person here”. As I got closer, I realized it was this nurse. She quickly established that the patient was still breathing and conscious, but that the patient was scrunched up, so we didn’t try to move the patient. She also realized that the driver prefers speaking Spanish, so she spoke in Spanish to try to comfort the patient. Time had slowed down so it felt like we were there forever, but eventually, the police and firefighters arrived and they took over the scene.

All the men and women who stopped to help should be commended for their actions that day, but I especially wanted to single out Laury because she exemplified everything a nurse should be. She assessed the patient while comforting. She stayed with the patient while help arrived. She kept the patient’s mind busy by talking to the patient even in all the chaos and all the fire. This nurse is an amazing nurse at work and during her time off.

Note: This is Laury's 2nd DAISY Award!