Newly Certified Minnesota Trauma Nurse Puts Skills to Use

Julie Sanwick received some well-deserved pats on the back when she arrived at work Monday morning at International Quality Homecare in Worthington.

The Round Lake woman and trained trauma nurse was among the first individuals on the scene following a motorcycle crash on Interstate 90 Saturday morning just outside of Worthington. Her quick reactions helped to stabilize the 71-year-old Muskegon, Mich., man before an ambulance arrived.

Sanwick was on her way back to Worthington from a nursing class in Jackson when she came upon the scene shortly after 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The victim, William Bayne, had reportedly hit a small animal and lost control of his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, according to the Minnesota State Patrol. Bayne and the bike ended up in the median.

A police officer was on the scene when Sanwick stopped and offered her assistance. Other off-duty EMTs also stopped along the Interstate.

“We were in the right place at the right time,” she said. “God was really shining down on him. We were just doing what we love.”

Sanwick, who works as an RN case manager for home visits with International Quality Homecare, just completed her advanced licensure in May to be Trauma Nurse Core Course (TNCC) certified. This was the first time she had to put her trauma training into action.

The victim was suffering from abrasions to his face and a compound fracture of the right leg, and went into shock before ambulance personnel arrived, Sanwick said.

“We all pulled it together,” she added. “It was a group effort. I wasn’t the only one, that’s for sure.”

After assisting EMTs in the effort to get the victim on a backboard and into the ambulance, Sanwick helped the man’s son, who was visibly shaken after the crash. The son had been riding another motorcycle with his father, and they were reportedly on their way home from Sturgis, S.D.

Bayne was transported to a Sioux Falls hospital where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Sanwick, who worked in a hospital setting prior to her move into home health, said she took the trauma course just in case “something should happen,” and to assist people with her nursing skills.

“I would do it for anybody,” she said. “You’ve got to think about it as somebody’s dad or brother.”