By EMS1 Staff
INDIANAPOLIS — As 2016 comes to a close, an Indiana paramedic and trauma surgeon reflected on the state’s highest homicide rate on record.
Paramedic Nicole Hall said in the last two months she’s worked in Indianapolis, she has responded to between 20 to 30 shootings. She said losing a patient is an added emotional tax on responders.
“There’s nothing you can do and it’s defeating. It’s hard … We all have that run, the run that sticks with you. The one you’ll never forget,” Hall told WISH. “The one where their face never leaves your mind.”
Once patients are aided by EMS, they are often transported to the hospital, where surgeons like Dr. Jamie Coleman try to “cheat death.”
“I’ve absolutely been shocked by the level of violence here,” Coleman said. “I really didn’t expect the level of violence that I’ve seen here in Indianapolis. Not just with even ‘regular’ gunshot wounds, but with high-velocity weapons.”
Hall and Coleman expressed they want to find ways to decrease the homicide rate in the new year, but said they will continue to try and save lives regardless.
“I’m hoping that we can stop the trauma before they get to the hospital. It’s not just me that can save someone’s life. It’s anybody in this community. Until we realize that, I’m going to be here,”. Coleman said.