Air Force Staff Sgt. Lionel Garcia had just left his son's birthday party last Sunday and was driving to his mother's house when he saw Police Officer Jonathan Esquivel lying face down on the shoulder of Loop 410.
His mother was riding in the front seat; his 4-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter were in the back.
"I didn't want my kids to see anything in case it was bad, so I stopped about 100 or 75 feet in front of where he was," Garcia said by phone.
Esquivel, 28, a six-year Police Department veteran, had been working the scene of a crash and was placing cones to protect another officer when he was hit by a truck.
As of Saturday afternoon, he remained at University Hospital in critical but stable condition.
"It would have been a disservice to keep driving," said Garcia, who received his emergency medical technician certification in 2011. "This is what I'm trained to do, and I knew I needed to help."
He said he could tell right away Esquivel was badly hurt.
Esquivel was gurgling, struggling to breathe, and also had what appeared to be a fractured femur and pelvis.
Garcia said he took the lead and had a police officer hold Esquivel's head and neck steady while he and another couple who stopped to help flipped him over onto his back.
"His eyes were wide open, but he wasn't blinking and wasn't responsive," Garcia said. "His pulse was weak, and I knew we needed to treat him for shock."
Garcia said he elevated Esquivel's legs so enough blood would circulate to his brain and lungs.
In the four or five minutes he and others administered aid before paramedics arrived, Garcia said Esquivel's breathing improved and his pulse became stronger.
"In situations like that, the first few minutes are very critical, and I think what we did helped his chances of recovery," Garcia said. "I did notice he had a wedding ring on, and that's important to me, that he's OK for his family."
Garcia was born and raised in San Antonio, but he's now stationed at Holloman AFB near Alamogordo, N.M., where he's a firefighter. He was in town on leave.
Though he hasn't encountered a situation as critical as the one involving Esquivel, Garcia said that's why he wanted to become EMT certified.
"Being able to further help people is why I did it," he said. "I'm very fortunate in my job that that's what I get to do."
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