Nurses describe response to fatal hit-and-run in Cheektowaga

Katie Barrera and Sabrina Gerster didn’t know Demario Patterson, the 21-year-old Buffalo player who lay unconscious in the road last Sunday at Walden Avenue and Union Road in Cheektowaga.

They didn’t know the circumstances that caused him to fight for his life.

But that didn’t stop them from immediately coming to his aid before emergency services arrived on site.

“It wasn’t ‘if’ I quit,” Barrera said. “I’m stopping.”

Cheektowaga police described what happened to Patterson as an accident between a motor vehicle and a pedestrian.

The timely action taken by Barrera and Gerster at the time of a stranger’s trauma is an experience shared by a growing number of Western New Yorkers. Accidents involving pedestrians and cyclists are becoming more and more common, and motorcycle accidents are increasing in hot weather.

When this happens at busy intersections like Walden and Union, the sheer density of vehicles and people can cause chaos and make access to the immediate scene difficult for emergency responders. In the seconds or minutes before professionals arrive, rescue measures applied by civilians – without interfering with the actions of emergency responders – can have a significant impact.

Barrera, Gerster and others did what they could to save Patterson, but he died at Erie County Medical Center shortly after the accident.

Cheektowaga police said late Tuesday that the black sedan involved had been found. They told the Buffalo News Thursday that they are investigating criminal conduct in the case beyond leaving the scene of a fatal crash. The investigation continued on Saturday.

At least to the crowd of 10 to 15 civilians who acted quickly, none of that mattered in the final moments of Patterson’s life.

Gerster, a Lancaster resident, was returning home around 5:40 p.m. with her three teenage children. She said her daughter, the driver, screamed and said, “Mom, look what just happened.” » Barrera, who lives in Cheektowaga, was driving to pick up dinner.

The two men – who have more than 40 years of combined nursing experience – knew what to do, even though they didn’t have professional equipment with them.

Gerster said he saw blood coming from Patterson’s mouth and nose, along with “severe trauma” to his abdomen. She was helped by a stranger who is a paramedic. The two men supported Patterson’s spine, neck and head and determined that the victim was breathing but unresponsive.

“It was devastating to see him in that position in the middle of a major intersection bleeding,” Gerster said.

Their mission was to keep the victim as stable as possible until help and an ambulance could arrive on scene.

“At that point, there was nothing we could do other than keep him stabilized, talk to him and try to clear his airway,” she said.

Barrera was also among the first civilians to take action. She grabbed a towel to apply pressure to a bleeding wound and handed out gloves to those caring for Patterson.

Barrera and Gerster said they tried to keep their composure as a crowd gathered around them and someone who said they were with Patterson shouted.

Both health care providers said they are grateful to staff at WellNow Urgent Care in Walden and Union for bringing supplies, including an Ambu bag, that can help with resuscitation. When the first police officer arrived, another civilian helped him set up traffic cones to create a protected area.

“We live in a community where people are not afraid to step up,” Barrera said. Emergency medical services arrived on scene, inserted an airway into Patterson and placed him on a spinal board.

It may be unusual that two nurses were among the first civilians to respond to an accident, but medical organizations are trying to prepare others by conducting training in first aid, automated external defibrillator (AED), and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). ) online and in person.

After the accident, Gerster shared on a community Facebook page that she just wanted to hug Patterson’s mother and let her know her son wasn’t left alone. She said she was reluctant to post anything on social media because she didn’t want to upset the young man’s family, but wanted her and others to know.

She told a reporter what she said to the unresponsive Buffalo man.

“I’m sure he was in pain and I just let him know that I felt so bad for him and that he was OK and people were there with him,” she said. “I let him know to keep breathing. I just wanted him to be okay, but deep down I knew that wouldn’t be the case.

Barrera also believed it would take a miracle for Patterson to survive. After the ambulance left, she returned to her car and cried, knowing that she and the others who had stopped were doing what they could to help.

“You have to try,” she said.