MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. (AFPN) -- Air Command and Staff College student Maj. Michael Jansen cannot explain his actions while on temporary duty to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., for specialized study of air and space power.
“Something like that may happen once in your lifetime, but hopefully never,” he said. “You can’t plan how you will react to it.”
React he did, and in doing so, saved another man’s life.
Major Jansen and a few ACSC students from here were in downtown Las Vegas on one of the busiest intersections in the gaming capital of the world.
What was supposed to be an enjoyable night was quickly interrupted by a sound Major Jansen said he hopes to never hear again.
“I heard this loud screech and what sounded to me like a car hitting a wall,” he said. “It was a loud thump with broken glass.”
With his group already on the pedestrian overpass designed to allow casino-goers to cross the busy intersection safely, Major Jansen looked to see the scene below him on the street.
“We could see a car was stopped, but initially thought it hit a pole or something,” he said. “All of the sudden, I noticed there was a guy laying there.”
It soon occurred to him that gruesome sound was the car hitting a person. Major Jansen said he knew the victim was in serious trouble, and instinctively he left his comrades behind as he made his way to the scene.
“I don’t know why, I just ran down the crosswalk, down the escalator to the opposite side of the road,” he said.
Major Jansen said he had to visit for traffic to clear before he could get to the victim.
“I looked across the road between passing cars, and the guy was still laying there motionless,” he said. “Everyone was standing around, and nobody was helping him.”
At that point, the major said he feared the victim might have been killed. Once he finally reached the man, he realized he was unconscious but still alive.
“I got over to him, and he was just a mess,” he said. “Major trauma to his legs, probably both broken, and the back of his head was even worse; there was so much blood it was running like a river.”
Major Jansen said he never would have known what to do had he not recently gone through CPR and self aid and buddy care training through the Air Force.
“Nobody was helping this guy, so I just went to work on what I was taught,” he said.
Thinking with unfathomable clarity, the major first cleared an air passage in the victim’s mouth, which was quickly filling with blood. Once he observed the young man’s chest slowly rising and falling, he knew CPR would not be necessary.
It was then that Major Jansen finally received some assistance from an off-duty firefighter from Seattle. He told the firefighter to hold the back of the victim’s head while he prevented the victim from swallowing his tongue and choking on blood.
The duo received little assistance from onlookers and both became frustrated, the major said.
“The next thing I remember, I looked up and asked (the crowd), ‘Has anyone called 911?’” he said.
Nobody had, but some people finally began to pull out cell phones. Flustered by the crowd’s lack of cooperation, Major Jansen firmly requested somebody stand at the street corner to prevent another vehicle from whipping around the corner and running them over.
Knowing an ambulance was still a few minutes away, the major said he knew he had to somehow slow the bleeding, or the injured man was not going to make it. He removed the man’s socks and placed them behind his head, applying slight pressure. He then remained with the man, rotating his head periodically to remove blood from his mouth until an ambulance finally arrived.
Once the paramedics loaded the victim into the rescue vehicle and sped away, Major Jansen and his new partner were left in the street, covered in blood.
“It was kind of surreal,” he said. “We looked at each other like, ‘What just happened?’”
Since the accident, Major Jansen has been able to obtain reports on the status of the victim through another ACSC student and physician assistant, Maj. Timothy Hornyak, who remains in contact with Las Vegas Fire Department officials.
“The 24-year-old man is still in the University Medical Center intensive care unit but has regained consciousness,” Major Hornyak said. “He suffered two fractured femurs, fractures to his skull and several lacerations.”
Medical officials responsible for the man’s treatment said Major Jansen’s actions are the only reason he remains alive today, Major Hornyak said. They also said the victim is on the road to recovery.
“From what was said, the guy was bleeding to death and (Major Jansen) stopped the bleeding,” Major Hornyak said. “He also secured an airway for him to breath.”
Major Jansen said he learned something about himself that fateful night in Las Vegas.
“I know now if I ever find myself in a similar situation, I’ll be able to help out,” he said.