Reservist, coworker rescue driver after overpass fall

  • Published
  • By Jasmine DeNamur
  • 919th SOW Public Affairs
DUKE FIELD, Fla. --  An afternoon drive for a reservist and his coworker turned up more than the occasional traffic jam. 

While on civilian duty, Staff Sgt. Brian Ackerman and his coworker, Frank Allers, were returning from a job site on Interstate 75 this winter when a vehicle traveling in front of them careened off an overpass, fell 45 feet and stopped 150 yards from the road. 

"All of a sudden, the car drifted toward the right and veered off the overpass, just squeezing through a gap in the guardrail," the 919th Civil Engineering Squadron emergency management specialist said. "The driver was traveling at around 70 miles per hour and never stepped on the breaks." 

His first instinct was to pull over immediately, but because he was traveling on an overpass, there was no safe place to stop on the side of the road. 

"Once we found a safe spot to pull over I immediately told Frank to call 911, and I began running toward the wreck about a quarter of a mile away with him trailing behind me," he said. 

Once there, he noticed the car was heavily smoking and still running with the driver, who he would later find out to be 26-year-old Air Force ROTC Cadet 1st Class Tira Walsh, unconscious in the driver's seat with all of the doors locked. 

"I had to find a way to get to her, so I managed to pry the rear driver's side window down two to three inches and talked loudly to wake her up. When she started to shake erratically, I realized that she was going through an epileptic fit," he said. 

She was constantly going in and out of consciousness, making it difficult for them to communicate with her. 

"At one point, we were able to get her to unlock the car door. About a second or two later, she passed out," he said. 

They then removed her from the car while supporting her neck in case of spinal cord injury. By this time, another motorist stopped and helped keep her stable while they turned of the ignition and grab a blanket from their car. She was going into shock. 

"We kept on talking to her to keep her awake when she was consciousness. After several attempts, we were able to piece together her parents' phone number and give them a call," said Sergeant Ackerman. 

The paramedics arrived about twelve to thirteen minutes after the initial phone call was made and took her to the hospital. 

A couple days later, the reservist called her parents to check up on her. He was amazed to learn that her only injuries consisted of some bruising - nothing else. 

She did have a seizure while she was driving and when she passed out, her body slumped over, causing the car to go off the road. It was a blessing in disguise that she was unconscious, because her muscles weren't tense to possibly break any bones on impact, he said. 

He also learned she would no longer be able to serve in the military due to her condition.
It's unfortunate, because she doesn't have a family history with epilepsy. This accident changed her life forever, he said. 

Though this accident forced her to change career paths, the once cadet is now Ms. Walsh at a company in southern Florida. 

She was actually returning from an interview the day of the accident, and right after she was released from the hospital she found out she got the job, said Sergeant Ackerman. 

"I'm just glad she's alright," he added. 

The way Sergeant Ackerman handled the situation was a testament to his 16 years of active and Reserve service. 

"My military training allowed me to be calm in a moment of crisis and use my skills efficiently to help this girl," he said. "All I can say is this experience has made me thankful for every day that I'm alive."