'This Is What We Do': Duke Health Team Aids Cyclist After Crash

Nurses, a doctor and coordinator witness accident and deliver swift care on a North Carolina highway

Five people in a group
Prior to helping an injured cyclist on their drive home, team members from Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness met with colleagues at Duke Health Lake Norman. Among those at the visit were, left to right, EOHW Nursing Supervisor Brad Petrusa, Duke Health Lake Norman Employee Health Nurse Berny Davis, EOHW Assistant Director Dr. Kristen Said, EOHW Nursing Supervisor Katie Rauschenberg and EOHW Operations Coordinator Charita Tabron. Photo courtesy of EOHW.

On an afternoon in April, a cyclist was riding along a two-lane highway with a narrow shoulder near the North Carolina town of Mooresville. As a car drove up behind the rider, it clipped the bike’s rear tire, sending the cyclist tumbling to the pavement.

Traveling in the opposite lane, four team members from Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness (EOHW) saw the accident unfold and instantly knew what to do.

“We pulled over immediately. Everyone just jumped into action,” said EOHW Operations Coordinator and Front Desk Manager Charita Tabron. “This is what we do, we help people.”

It had already been a busy day for Tabron; EOHW Nursing Supervisors Brad Petrusa and Katie Rauschenberg; and Dr. Kristen Said, Assistant Professor in Family Medicine and Community Health in the Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and Assistant Director of EOHW.

That morning, the Duke foursome had ridden together from Durham to Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital, where they spent much of the day meeting with staff and touring the facility that became part of Duke University Health System in April.

A few minutes into their trip home, they witnessed the car colliding with the cyclist and pulled over. They scrambled out of the car and rushed to the cyclist, identifying themselves as medical professionals. The cyclist hadn’t been run over, which was their initial concern. The cyclist was sitting in the street, disoriented. Dr. Said performed a quick assessment.

Duke Employee Occupational Health and Wellness HR Representative and Project Coordinator Eric Maier told Working@Duke about this story. Share your story idea with us here or by clicking the star above.

“You don’t go into medicine unless you have a passion for helping people,” said Dr. Said, who performed a quick assessment and worked as an urgent care physician before joining Duke 10 years ago.

The cyclist had gashes on their knee and left arm as well as a cut on the forehead, likely a result of the bike helmet taking the brunt of the fall.

The driver who struck the cyclist stopped to help, joined by another motorist who called 911. For about 20 minutes, the Duke caregivers remained at the scene, offering water and helping keep the cyclist calm.

After Mooresville police officers arrived, the Duke team members shared what they had witnessed, then returned to their car. With EMTs on the way to provide further care, the EOHW team continued their trip home.

“What are the odds that the people who stopped would be two nurses and a doctor? said Tabron, who has worked with EOHW for six years. “We were just glad we were able to stop and assist.”

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