TAR HEEL — Action was needed quickly.
With several elements in place, and Detective Shawn Gibson first on the scene, a life was saved Friday afternoon in Bladen County.
Gibson responded when the Bladen County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an accidental shooting near Smithfield Packing. The victim’s gunshot went into his leg, and upon arrival and seeing the amount of bleeding Gibson believed the femoral artery had been struck.
Gibson, a release said, assessed the victim to be in shock and applied direct pressure, then a tourniquet. Taken to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville, he was treated for the wound and survived.
“If it had not been for our detective’s quick thinking and applying the tourniquet to stop the bleeding, this gentleman could have died within five to 10 minutes,” Sheriff Jim McVicker said.
Gibson is a former Army E-4, and available to him was a trauma kit that the Sheriff’s Office has available. Those are the work of the department and the advice of a Special Forces soldier the release described as a friend to the Sheriff’s Office. The kits include tourniquets and quick clotting agents that can help stop bleeding.
“With Veterans Day coming up on Monday,” McVicker said, “here is an example of our detective, a former U.S. Army E-4, and our friend, a former U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, who help us make these trauma kits, that have come together to save a life.”
A promotional ceremony already planned for Tuesday will also include recognition for Gibson with a commendation.
