“How do you thank someone for saving your life? It’s hard,” said Eric Huss, a junior at the U.S. Military Academy.
Eric Huss, a junior, was fighting for his life when the Army hockey team suffered a torn skate during a Jan. 5 game against the Sacred Heart.
“I was bleeding all over the ice, and at this point I thought, ‘Well, it didn’t come out of my mouth, I don’t know what happened,’ and then as I sat on the bench, Rachel had There,” Huss said.
Rachel Leahy, an athletic trainer at West Point and a Quinnipiac graduate, said looking back, the moment was a blur.
“Time to go,” Leahy said. “I’m just checking my steps, making sure we have accurate vitals on him, that he’s conscious, and that he’s comfortable.”
Leahy accompanied Huss from the ice to St. Vincent’s Medical Center, taking lifesaving measures to stop the bleeding.
“The main life-threatening injury he suffered was a facial artery injury, and we were able to clip and ligate both ends of it,” said Dr. Matthew Carson, MD, a trauma surgeon at St. Vincent’s Hospital.
submitted photos Eric Huss, a junior at West Point.
In athletics, it’s moments like this that highlight the importance of always having a plan.
“I run a simulation in my head every day just in case,” Leahy said.
Leahy’s decisive action ultimately saved his life. Carson said there are programs available to the public to help them prepare, such as stopping bleeding.
“When they’re witnessing an injury like this or something, basically just do what you can to stop the bleeding, which is obviously something Rachel was able to do for him,” Carson said.
Awareness of the events has only grown since last winter, when Connecticut lost one of its own to an ice accident that caused other rinks to brace.
“We’ve had hemostatic kits installed on the scorer’s table for immediate use,” said Peter Montesano, facilities manager at the Veterans Memorial Ice Rink in West Hartford. “We also have a backup unit in the AED cabinet if we need it.”
Neck braces have been another form of prevention that has been discussed in Connecticut. Currently, CIAC schools require them, but not all schools in the state.
Huss said he’ll be wearing a neck brace when he’s back on the ice with Army.
