SUSSEX COUNTY, Del. -- A program that allows first responders to give patients blood on the way to the hospital is making a huge difference. In fact, it's the very reason one man in Sussex County is alive today.
On Monday, we had the chance to talk with Chris Evans, who, against all odds, will be home with his family on Christmas Day.
Chris' fateful story started a few months back. It was a Saturday in August. Chris was out doing something he loved and did often: riding his bike. He was making his way along the Lewes-Georgetown Trail and attempted to cross at the intersection of U.S. Route 9 and Sweetbriar Road.
"I received a call from Beebe Hospital, an actual ER nurse, who said my husband was in a severe accident and for me to meet her at the ER at Beebe," said Chris's wife, Amy Evans.
Chris had been hit by a car. According to Amy, every single one of his organs was affected, his right arm was broken, his right leg and pelvis had been fractured, and he had sustained severe injuries to his lungs and heart.
The medical treatment Chris received at Beebe and then Christiana Hospital undoubtedly helped save his life. But those efforts would have been futile, were it not for the speedy action of first responders in Sussex County.
"From the person who arrived first at the scene, the person who said I didn't have a pulse, the person they spoke to on the phone, Ginny for answering the phone, I mean, the planets all aligned perfectly, and it brought me here today," said Chris Evans. "If it wasn't for all that, and how well the system works, I wouldn't be here today."
Within 11 minutes of the 911 call, paramedics were administering what's called 'whole blood'.
"The reason that that works is because it has all the natural clotting factors, the white blood cells, the red blood cells, everything you need in order to help resuscitate somebody who's dying from hemorrhagic shock," said Jordan Dattoli, Field Training Coordinator with Sussex County EMS.
In May 2023, paramedics in New Castle and Sussex counties began administering whole blood as a part of a pilot program. Earlier this year, the program went statewide. Every single paramedic agency across the state has access to whole blood in some fashion, and Delaware is the only state where that type of access exists.
In fact, according to the National Association of State EMS Officials, fewer than 10% of EMS agencies nationwide carry and administer whole blood.
Luckily for Chris and his family, Sussex County finds itself among the agencies that do, and it wound up saving his life.
"This whole event made me realize how fragile life really is, and, you know, with that, I hope I don't get emotional about it, but I'm here because they do what they do," said Chris.
A partnership with the Blood Bank of Delmarva makes this all possible. The blood bank supplies whole blood to paramedic agencies across the state, and it's only able to do that because of generous donations.
The Blood Bank of Delmarva encourages anyone who's willing and able to donate.
