Three Kenyans escaped a near-fatal accident after the prompt intervention from American soldiers who were training at a nearby camp in Manda Bay, Lamu County.
According to the Defence Visual Information Distribution Service site, the Virginia National Guard Soldiers, assigned to First platoon status- 116th Infantry Regiment- were conducting an area patrol before the accident.
The platoon's leader, Sergeant Chandler Potts, noted that they had moved about four kilometres from the camp into a nearby village when they heard a sudden sound of screeching tires and a loud bang.
"Our route had us headed to a pretty sizeable village. The bush was pretty thick and it took us quite a while to move through it. We crossed over to the village and began talking with the first local that we came across. Moments later, we heard the sound of tires and crunching metal from behind us," he noted.
Spotting dust emanating from the tree, Potts ordered his soldiers to form a perimeter wall around the vehicle, in a bid to establish whether it was a potential threat.
The soldiers then heard the blast of the vehicle horn, indicating that someone was hurt. Rushing towards the vehicle, the soldiers spotted someone sticking out through the passenger window of the truck that had overturned.
They also spotted another occupant at the driver's side holding his neck. At the time, the sergeant tried to make verbal signals to the victims to no avail.
The third victim, who had been ejected from the truck due to the impact of the accident, was found a few metres away. He was responsive but had suffered a minor concussion.
"I called for Specialist Montiel, our Combat Life Saver, to start evaluating him. I climbed on top of the vehicle with Specialist Nicholas, our attached medic, and pulled the first guy out of the vehicle through the passenger window," Potts noted.
The sergeant had to kick off the windshield of the truck and retrieve the second victim out of the vehicle. They later established a casualty collection point and moved the three victims to safety.
Minutes later, an ambulance arrived and transported the three victims to a nearby care facility.
“It was a good experience to be in the right place at the right time and help out some people in need. The whole squad performed their roles really well," the sergeant stated.
