Two Paramedics, A Blizzard, And A Three-Mile Walk
When their ambulance got stuck in a record blizzard, paramedics Jordan Reyes and Sam Ortiz carried their patient three miles on foot to the hospital.
The 911 call came in at 11:14 PM. A 68-year-old man was having a heart attack on the outskirts of town. The blizzard outside was the worst the county had seen in 30 years.
Paramedics Jordan Reyes and Sam Ortiz responded anyway. They had to. Two miles in, the ambulance hit a snowbank and wouldn't move.
They had a patient to deliver and three miles of impassable road between them and the hospital.
They put the patient on the stretcher, strapped him in, and started walking. Sam pulled, Jordan pushed. They took turns warming his hands. They kept talking to him so he wouldn't lose consciousness.
It took them just over two hours. The patient survived. He's back home now, walking his dog.
When asked why they didn't wait for a rescue team, Jordan answered simply: "He didn't have two hours."
That's the job. That's the hero.
