Injured Man is Grateful for being Found in Hospital Parking Lot

Fort Madison Community Hospital
Fort Madison, IA

Karen Hall is a radiology technician who has been at Fort Madison Community Hospital (FMCH) for more than 11 years. In that time, she has been recognized for her commitment to patients, willingness to go above and beyond and her positive attitude. But her true spirit of compassion and doing the right thing for our patients did not happen in the MRI suite she normally occupies.

One recent fall day, Karen was leaving for lunch and in the parking lot she encountered a gentleman stumbling into cars. She asked if the man was okay and as he came out from between the cars Karen observed he had one leg completely covered in blood. “I missed the tree and hit my leg,” he told her.

The patient had accidently struck his leg with an axe and drove himself to the emergency room (ER), parking in a remote corner of the parking lot behind ER.  Once Karen saw his injury she went into high gear, running back to the ER she got a wheelchair and rushed back to get the patient.

After she scooped him up into the wheelchair the patient immediately passed out. Karen hurried into the ER with the patient, turning him over to the capable hands of the ER staff.

“When I returned from lunch, I went back through the ER to check on him.  He was sitting up and chatting with the staff,” explained Karen.  He was then taken into surgery to repair the damaged leg. “I was just in the right place at the right time.  I am so glad he did not pass out on his drive to the hospital,” Karen expressed.

The patient, Dannie Francis, took the time to send a testimonial through the hospital’s website website about Karen’s quick actions.  “I might better be known as the guy that chopped up his leg with an axe and then drove himself to the hospital, but I want everyone to know that the real miracles began after I reached the hospital. The kindest act was the lady that I think was from x-ray, who saw me walking in and went back inside to get a wheel chair and wheel me inside. Beyond that point what I remember most is that a tourniquet really hurts and I am very grateful to everyone that I was around to feel it. Thanks to all.”

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