WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn. –
On Jan. 30, 2025, at approximately 4:30 p.m., two Connecticut Army National Guardsmen rendered aid to a pedestrian who was struck by a vehicle on Old County Road in Windsor Locks.
Specialist Shane Berube, a petroleum supply specialist assigned to Echo Company, 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, was on his way home from work when he noticed a woman lying in the road, not moving. Berube parked his truck, turned on his hazard lights and proceeded to exit the vehicle and ask the victim if she needed medical assistance.
The woman, who had been struck by a vehicle outside the FedEx shipping center just before Berube arrived, was conscious and breathing but unaware of what had happened.
“There was a bunch of cars stopped,“ explained Berube. “There were people walking over, putting jackets, whatever they had from their vehicles, on her. She was alert, but she didn’t know what happened. She was walking home from the Stop and Shop, she [didn’t] remember getting hit, just being on the ground.”
Berube continued to access the situation and found that he was the only person on scene who had any medical training, having previously completed the Combat Lifesaver Course prior to deploying overseas in March 2023. As he was checking the woman’s vitals, a civilian, who also responded to the incident, informed him that she was bleeding from her head.
“The back of her head was cracked open and she was bleeding on the pavement,” said Berube. “I told her it was just a scratch; I didn’t want her to worry.”
Luckily, another Connecticut Army National Guardsman, Spc. Joesph Montenegro, a CH-47 helicopter repairer assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 104th Aviation Regiment, then arrived on scene and pulled over to assist.
Berube instructed Montenegro to go to his vehicle and retrieve his medical kit, which he kept under his back seat. With the kit in hand, Berube pulled out a packet of QuikClot Combat Gauze, a specially designed hemostatic wound dressing which contains kaolin, an agent that accelerates the body's ability to clot blood, and applied it to the wound on the back of her head to stop the bleeding.
As the soldiers waited for emergency medical services to arrive, Berube kept pressure on the bandage and kept the victim talking in order to prevent her from passing out due to the blood loss. Montenegro sprung into the street and began directing traffic around the incident scene, protecting Berube and the victim.
After EMS arrived, Berube assisted first responders in further stabilizing the victim and preparing her for transport via ambulance to the hospital.
“EMS had me help support her head while they applied the C collar to the victim,” said Berube in an incident statement. “After the C collar was applied, I held support on her head and pressure on her wound on the back of her head while the backboard was slid underneath her.”
After the victim was secured to the backboard, the EMTs loaded her onto a gurney and into the ambulance.
Since the incident, Berube has spoken with one of the Windsor Lock Police Officers who also responded that night, and has been informed the woman was released from the hospital the following day. She is currently recovering at home.