MEDIA CONTEST: Gunfighter saves Mountain Home girl’s life after crash Published Dec. 26, 2006 News Entry 10 ACC MEDIA CONTEST -- A Gunfighter on his way to C.J. Strike Dam saved the life of a 19-year-old Mountain Home girl after her crashed July 28. Capt. William Wilkinson, 391st Fighter Squadron intelligence officer, was driving with his wife, 3-year-old and 1-year-old girls, and his parents for a day of fun out at the dam when the car in front of them started skidding, flipped over four times, stood up on its nose and came crashing down on its roof in front of them. "It was one of those things where you say, 'Is this really happening?' " said Captain Wilkinson. "Then I started thinking, 'I hope someone can help them,' then I realized we were the only ones around." Captain Wilkinson and his father ran up to the sedan to check on the passengers. "All the windows except the back windows were broken out, and the girl was hanging upside down in the car," said Captain Wilkinson. "When I got up to her, the first words out of her mouth were, 'my parents are going to kill me!' " said Captain Wilkinson. The girl was trapped in the car by the pressure on the seatbelt and couldn't get it to budge, but that was not the main concern on Captain Wilkinson's mind. "The car was still running and I kept thinking about that video in high school showing two girls burning to death in a car fire, and I knew I wasn't going to let that happen," said Captain Wilkinson. "I noticed a broken bottle next to the car I could possibly use to cut the seatbelt if I needed it," said Captain Wilkinson. "But, I got the back door open and got the car shut off. I lifted her up to release the pressure from the seatbelt and then got her released from the seatbelt." After getting the girl out of the car, Captain Wilkinson and his father moved her to a safe spot so his wife, Nicole, a nurse, could examine her injuries. "The girl was panicking, but she was all right," said Mrs. Wilkinson. "She had a few scrapes and cuts, but she was a lot better off than I thought she would be after watching the car do what it did." While talking to the girl to help calm her down, the Wilkinsons learned the girl's family was waiting for her at the dam. Knowing the paramedics were going to take a long time to reach them, Mrs. Wilkinson offered to drive the girl to the dam to let her parents know what happened. To keep her from hyperventilating or possibly going into shock, "I told her she had to calm down before getting into my car, because we had little girls in there we didn't want to scare them, and it worked," said Captain Wilkinson. "I stayed at the accident scene so people driving by wouldn't freak out by seeing the car lying there with nobody around." The girl arrived back at the accident site about 10 minutes before the first responders arrived and she was swiftly taken away to the hospital for further tests. Captain Wilkinson credits his military training to being able to help the girl. "I really believe all the training we receive was beneficial because we are trained to stop and think about the situation," said Captain Wilkinson. "We practice what to do in self-aid and buddy care classes and in the phase II exercises. We do that so often that it really just comes naturally when the time comes." For Captain Wilkinson, it was so natural he only had one thing on his mind while moving the girl from the car. "I really just tried to not drop her on her 'nugget'," he said.