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Students, teachers honored at board meeting for saving a life

By Melissa McCaghren

Slatonite GM

Several Slaton High School ag students and teachers were honored by the Slaton Independent School District for saving another student’s life Thursday evening (Dec. 8) during the Board of Trustees’ monthly meeting.

Those recognized were Andy Gutierrez, son of Brandi Miller; Zamion Davila, grandson of Isabel Maldonado; Quaid Dosher, son of Joanne and Jaime Dosher; Aiden Fletcher, son of Jeannie and Manual Castanuela; Diego Gomez, son of Angela Cantu; Jayden Jones, son of Tristan and Corey Jones; Adam Westbrook, Ag teacher and Sherri Arrington, school nurse and teacher at Slaton High School.

Superintendent Jim Andrus said on Oct. 22, Westbrook and the ag students were out at the Ag barn cutting pigs. This is a routine procedure, though Andrus said it was not such this year.

“Mr. Westbrook had cut the pig and was preparing to inject antibiotics when the pig kicked (his) arm,” he said.

When the pig kicked Westbrook’s arm, the scapel punctured Guiterrez’s forearm, severing the radial artery.

That is where the other students came in.

“It was the fast action of Aiden, Diego and Jayden, who applied pressure and helped get Andy to the truck, and the incredibly quick thinking of Zamion and Quaid who remembered their ‘Stop The Bleed’ training,” said Andrus. “They took off their shirts and belts, made emergency tourniquets and continued to apply pressure as Mr. Westbrook drove back to the campus.

“Mrs. Arrington was waiting with a medical tourniquet and compress. When the ambulance arrived and began treating Andy, it became clear that all of these remarkable people had combined their efforts to save Andy’s life.”

Gutierrez said he had to have bypass surgery on the artery, but was feeling good. He will have to have physical therapy for six weeks and hopes to have feeling in his arm in about six months.

For more information, including other agenda items, please read the Thursday edition of The Slatonite.

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