When Air Force doctor Jeremy Kilburn broke his leg while hiking, he never could have envisioned that he would be the one saving the day. But that's exactly what happened when his rescuer was severely injured while trying to reach him, The Associated Press reports.
Kilburn was hiking in Northern California when his dog knocked into him, causing him to stumble and break his leg. He knew he wasn't able to make it down the rest of the mountain and a helicopter had to come in, and that's when the trouble started. The first responder, Tony Stanley, was struck from behind by one of the helicopter's rotors, knocking him out and causing severe bleeding. Relying on his training, Kilburn leaped into action.
"It was a split-second thing, from feeling vulnerable and pathetic … to becoming someone providing help," he told the Los Angeles Times. "I went into critical care doctor mode. You're trained in this stuff so much."
Kilburn is no stranger to treating the wounded in high pressure situations, and he may be deployed to Afghanistan next year, according to the Times.