Veterans left shaken after trying to save life

Veteran pushes through past experiences in effort to save an injured cyclist’s life
VAntage Point
Department of Veterans Affairs
Doré Mobley is a Communications Specialist with Patient Care Services
March 16, 2018

For VA employee and Veteran Eric Detrick, Feb. 11 began as a brisk Sunday under sunny blue skies – the perfect day for a 100-mile bike ride through California’s Coachella Valley known as the Tour de Palm Springs.

However, around mile 30, events took a turn that would leave Detrick emotionally shaken.

Detrick and two fellow Veterans Tom McMillen and Raul Portal were riding with Project Hero, a national non-profit therapeutic cycling program for Veterans and first responders when they came upon an accident (pictured above) where a driver lost control of his vehicle and collided with two cyclists. The group immediately rendered aid to the more seriously injured cyclist.

An Army medic who served two tours in Afghanistan, Detrick realized one of the cyclists wasn’t getting enough air, so he created an intubation tube from the hose of another cyclist’s hydration pack. Unfortunately, the cyclist’s injuries proved to be too extensive and later died at the scene.
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