Nursing student draws on knowledge at accident scene

Abigail Uhlir has one more semester to go until she graduates from the College of Nursing Kearney Division. Recently she and some of the nurses training her through the Veteran’s Administration home health care came upon a car accident that tested Uhlir’s skills.

Abigail Uhlir

The St. Paul, Neb., native was riding with Peggy Lechner, a VA nurse preceptor, when they witnessed a two-car accident on Hwy. 281 in Grand Island.

“I heard a crunch and a thud. One of the cars had spun out and was leaking fluid. Peg told us to get our gloves on. We ran over to one of the cars in the ditch and called 911,” Uhlir said.

Though no one was seriously hurt, those involved in the accident — including a woman and her son, who was about 7-years-old and was crying in the back seat, and in the other car, a developmentally disabled passenger who was confused. While the nurses tended to those who may have been hurt, Uhlir stayed with the disabled passenger trying to reassure him and keep him safe until the paramedics got on the scene.

“He was mumbling words — not reacting and didn’t want to talk. He tried to get out of the car. He had braces on his legs. I tried to use therapeutic words,” Uhlir said.

“I’ve never been in the situation before — as a first responder. It’s crazy to have that experience and to be with nurses and watch them work,” she said.

Uhlir and her colleagues received recognition in the form of a letter from the Grand Island Police Department, as well as one from Lechner.

“I want to give kudos to Abigail Uhlir for her help at the scene of the accident,” Lechner wrote. “Abigail was with me during witnessing this accident. She stepped right in and up to help out the people in need. She sat with a passenger and helped calm them also. She will be a great nurse.”

Sgt. Dale Hilderbrand of the Grand Island Police Department wrote: “Their actions were very appreciated due to the parties involved. It is not often that people will jump in and render aid in today’s world, and this shows that there are still people who care. Their actions show their professionalism in the medical field.”