Student helps at accident

A good samaritan revealed himself last Tuesday night when he rushed over to help a fellow… A good samaritan revealed himself last Tuesday night when he rushed over to help a fellow student the minute he went down in a severe sledding accident.

Junior Jonathan Duvall, president of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, decided to take full advantage of the heavy snowfall and cancelled class, said his friend and fraternity brother, Randy Swackhammer. The two friends brought inner-tubes, turtle sleds, snowboards and a four person sled to enjoy the snow, Swackhammer said.

The group of students chose to sled on the hill behind Pennsylvania Hall, next to the Petersen Events Center. According to Swackhammer, a ramp was already made in an attempt to gather speed and jump the set of trees next to the Pete. After gathering too much speed, Swackhammer rolled off of the sled to avoid the trees. Duvall, on the other hand, went straight through the trees on his inner-tube and landed on the ground near the Pete, Swackhammer said.

Sophomore and Phi Delta Theta brother Paul Trichon was snowboarding with friends when he saw Duvall go down. An infantry Marine from Mandsville, W.Va., and trained in first aid, he acted right away.

“The Marine inside me kicked in,” Trichon said. “We are taught to act, and I just happened to be at the right place at the right time.”

Trichon ran over and told Duvall he was a Marine and asked if he could assist, Trichon said. After getting permission, Duvall informed him that he could not feel his feet and felt paralyzed, Trichon said. The Marine proceeded to stabilize his neck, squeeze his feet and at the request of Duvall, check to see if there was any bleeding. Duvall began to go into shock and Trichon continued to stabilize him, covering him with his own jacket despite the intense cold.

“After that it was just a matter of waiting,” Trichon said.

According to both Trichon and Swackhammer, because of their location, only a four-wheel drive Pitt Police truck could get to Duvall and take him to the ambulance.

Taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital, Duvall was originally paralyzed from the neck down, but now has regained some movement in his upper body, said Sigma Alpha Mu brother Brendan Lane, who arrived at the scene and waited for the ambulance. Also, he has feeling in his lower body, but still has not regained movement, Lane said.

The deputy chief of Pittsburgh EMS, Mark Bucian, said that Trichon acted accordingly and correctly.

“The fact that he mobilized his head is definitely a help, but to what degree no one will ever know,” Bucian said. “He did what he was trained to do and he could, more than likely, have saved [Duvall] from more injury.”

Lane and Swackhammer, along with other brothers and friends, visit Duvall at the hospital regularly.

“He is a real stand-up guy, and he is the kind of person who would do the same for us,” Lane said.

Trichon visited Duvall the night of the accident around 2 a.m. and returned to visit him Thursday. Those close to Duvall still offer their thanks to Trichon.

“Everyone can’t say or do enough to thank him for what he did,” Swackhammer said. “I really cannot emphasize enough how much we appreciate his help.”

A mechanical engineering major and “involved in as much as he could take,” Duvall’s recovery will be slow, Swackhammer said.

“Based off of his injuries and his determination, the doctors are hoping everything will turn out well,” Swackhammer said. “Knowing him, he’s not going to rest until he is back to normal.”