U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jesse Lopez

By Franklin R. Ramos

Special to the News-Herald

The quick actions of a former member of the Whaleyville Volunteer Fire Department and his wife — both now serving in the U.S. Air Force — helped ensure the safety of a mother and her three children after they were involved in a crash recently.

Tech. Sgts. Ryan Boyd, 97th Civil Engineer Squadron deputy fire chief, and Tesha Boyd, 97th Force Support Squadron NCO in charge of force management, were driving on U.S. Highway 87 South heading to San Antonio, when they saw a major vehicle accident April 2.

A man driving a silver pickup truck had crashed into a family in a white minivan that had pulled over at rest stop. The Boyds immediately pulled over to investigate the scene.

“I stopped because it was a natural reaction to me. Being a fireman for the past 15 years I’ve trained to react to emergencies,” said Ryan.

Ryan Boyd is the son of Wallace Boyd and Jackie and Tom Williams, all of Suffolk. He is a graduate of Windsor High School and was a volunteer firefighter in Whaleyville before enlisting in the Air Force.

As the Boyds were approaching the scene of the crash, Tesha called 911 as Ryan began to aid the accident victims. Two additional drivers pulled over to assist with the injured.

“I thought, please let everyone be okay,” said Tesha. “I wasn’t sure what to expect, by the severity of the accident I was thinking the worst.”

“As I approached the vehicles, the back window [of the minivan] was shattered, two of the kids were in the back seat complaining of head and neck pain, the mom was in the middle row trying to calm down the baby that was in the car seat,” said Ryan.

“The driver of the truck that hit the van wanted to help out but I had him sit down out of the way and asked another bystander to stay with him.”

The mother had a 1-by-3 inch wound on her leg, and the children were in need of medical assistance, so the Boyds immediately began stabilizing procedures such as holding the children’s cervical spines while waiting for emergency responders.

“I focused on the little boy, he was in the back seat,” said Tesha. “I pulled him out through the back window, held c-spine, tried to keep him calm and talking to me until the ambulance arrived.”

“I took the female child out from the side van door and directed the other bystander to hold c-spine on her,” said Ryan. “I then took a shirt and tied it around the mother’s leg to stop the bleeding. I left the baby in the car seat, because the car seat was already stabilizing him. The mother was getting woozy, so I had her sit next to the baby in the car seat on the floor board to keep him calm.”

Shortly after, emergency responders arrived on scene.

After the victims were taken to a hospital the Boyds cleaned themselves up and continued their drive to San Antonio.

“I’m so proud of my husband. He is a firefighter, and this is his job,” said Tesha. “He was very calm with everyone and took control of the situation without hesitation.”

“My job and life is devoted to helping others,” said Ryan. “I didn’t think twice, I just reacted. It feels good when I can help people in need.”

“My wife isn’t used to doing this kind of thing, but she stayed calm and performed like it was second nature I’m proud of her,” said Ryan.

Senior Airman Franklin R. Ramos is assigned to the 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs at Altus Air Force Base in Altus, Okla.