Off-duty firefighter saves life in Jackson
JACKSON, Tenn. — The wreck occurred Sunday night on Stonebrook Place in north Jackson.
Jacob Dietrich, a Jackson native, was enjoying food at a nearby restaurant Sunday night with his friend, Cole McCorkle, a Lebanon resident and firefighter for Lebanon Fire Department.
Dietrich said he watched as the wreck happened.
“We heard a noise. I turn around and we see this guy on a motorcycle hit the ground, the guy flips, goes about 30-40 yards across the street,” Dietrich said.
Dietrich said he and McCorkle immediately ran outside the restaurant to respond to the motorcyclist.
“I kind of just reacted. Adrenaline was pumping, so I just started running over towards it,” McCorkle said.
When they reached the injured cyclist, they discovered he had already dialed 911 and was responsive.
McCorkle and Dietrich said they could both see a visible injury to the thigh of the cyclist.
According to McCorkle, they immediately dialed 911, and he assessed the biker’s injuries.
McCorkle said the man was bleeding profusely and required a tourniquet. He quickly turned to the crowd for help.
“He was bleeding heavily in the leg. So, obviously, first thing you can think of is a belt, apply a tourniquet,” McCorkle said.
After applying the belt tourniquet, McCorkle said he then used the biker’s phone to talk to dispatch and relay information about the wound and the accident to the incoming EMS units.
McCorkle says law enforcement arrived on scene first, and he requested a medical tourniquet from an officer and applied that on the leg as well.
“Having that training definitely made me feel like I could actually potentially help this person,” McCorkle said.
McCorkle says once emergency services arrived on scene, he backed off and let them help the injured man.
The cyclist was air-lifted by a medical helicopter that landed in a nearby parking lot.
McCorkle said officers on the scene asked him a few questions and thanked him.
They told him that because of his quick actions applying a tourniquet, he potentially saved the cyclists life.
“Feels good to hear something like that, but it’s not what anybody does it for, anybody in our line of reason. It feels good to know, maybe, God put me in the right spot for the right reason,” McCorkle said.
When we asked McCorkle if he felt like a hero, he responded he doesn’t.
It’s just what firefighters do, he said. However, he was very proud to know that he could have potentially helped save a life.
The crash is still under investigation by police.
There’s no immediate word on the condition of the motorcyclist.
Find more local news here.
