Central High School students help save classmate with training learned at school

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Fast action allowed some Central High School students use a recent lesson in first aid to help save one of their classmates.

What first seemed like a routine day in a physical education class quickly turned into an emergency.

"I heard a collision, and I kinda seen it at first. I didn't think it was that big because I seen them get up, and I seen Amontez running over to him and then I looked down and seen a bunch of blood," said Ken'yale Bailey.

Two players collided during a game of capture the flag. One of the players teeth rammed into the other's forehead

Amontez Woolfolk said it happened quickly.

"He had stood up and he was bleeding he was holding his head and I seen blood dripping and I ran to him," Woolfolk said.

Students first thought that it was just a nose bleed, but the massive amount of blood triggered the training of pre-med student Ashton Tunstull.

"That's when my instinct kicked in along with some of the things I've been taught during my sophomore year. We learned about emergency procedures and just really how to access a scene and get everything situated," Tunstull explained.

Pre-nursing instructor Taylour Champion said it was encouraging to see the students use what they've learned.

"I think that's what's super cool about Allied Health magnets in general is that our education goes outside of textbooks and classroom education that we're teaching our kids how to save lives," Champion said.

Some Central High School students are taught emergency procedures and can take pre-med, pre-nursing and sports medicine.

"If we wanted to get the bleeding to slow down we need him to sit, so once we got him to sit, and I made sure that pressure was being applied," said Tunstull.

A paper towel was first applied, but pre-nursing student Sanai Geer knew that keeping the wound clean was also as important

"So I'm grabbing a bunch and just opening them handing them off, so they can switch it out with the paper towels because its more sanitary," Geer said.

The students were in full ER mode and their professionalism surprised their teacher more than the puddle of blood on the gym floor.

"I walked in here there was like blood everywhere, and the kids were just calmly opening gauze applying pressure and doing everything as if they've been doing this their whole lives," said Champion.

"While you're treating somebody, you don't want them to see that sort of fear that you have because if they see that it's only going to make it worse for them," said Tunstull.

The student was taken to the emergency room, given stitches and released. He's fine and back at school.

"The knowledge that they learn in the classroom isn't just classroom knowledge that they are capable even today, as high school students, of making a significant difference in any emergency situation that they come across," said Champion.

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