A Reminder of Miracles In 2022, Jason Lanzilotta was using his tractor to move a 1,500-pound pole off of a trailer for a barn he was building on his Cumberland County property. The pole slid off the hooks and fell.
Jason and Jennifer Lanzilotta with their family
to my brother, ‘Don’t worry. You did everything you could. It’s in God’s hands now.’” But the first responders acted quickly and decisively, meeting every obstacle thrown at them. The first task was to control the bleeding. A military blood clotting drug called TXA had just been cleared for civilian use but hadn’t yet made it onto the ambulances. But, that morning, UPS delivered a box of TXA to the head of the county’s EMS training service. He was able to get it to the scene, where the team gave it to Jason. Because his pelvic artery was severed, even with the TXA, Jason was in danger of bleeding out. He needed nearly eight pints of blood, and the ambulance didn’t have enough to transfuse him. The TXA bought him enough time to stop at a nearby hospital for a pit stop. The first responders worked with UT LIFESTAR to meet them where they could safely clear a landing zone. The team drove Jason 26 miles where UT LIFESTAR picked up Jason and transported him to the medical center.
“I saw the tractor jump and knew it was coming,” Jason said. He tried to push the pole away, but it dropped on top of him. It crushed his pelvis, fractured his spine, damaged his bladder, liver and spleen and caused massive internal bleeding. Lanzilotta, a Security Police Officer at a nuclear plant, called 911. The dispatcher recognized him, because she knew Jason’s brother, Rick, a sergeant in the Sherriff’s department. The dispatcher called Rick, who happened to be three minutes away from Jason’s location. “That never happens,” Jason said. “God knew my brother would keep me alive long enough for the medics to get to me.” At the same time, Jason’s wife, Jennifer, a nurse, had a premonition that something was wrong, so she and the kids were already driving to the property to check on him. “My brother and my wife were with me before the first responders, and they were able to get an ambulance out quickly,” said Jason. When the EMTs arrived, the first responders paged the medical center’s aeromedical helicopter, UT LIFESTAR. But in an unexpected twist, the helicopter wasn’t flying to that area due to windy conditions. “I knew, without the helicopter, I was going to die, because of the internal bleeding. So, I told my wife and kids goodbye, and I said
Almost three years after his accident, Jason is back at work full-time as a Security Police Officer.
Star of Life Award EMS and UT LIFESTAR
The first responders on scene worked together in extraordinary ways to save Jason’s life. “They had all these hurdles,” Jason said. “No helicopter? No way to stop the bleeding or get me more blood? Whatever got thrown at them, they figured it out. They refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.” As a result, these emergency responders, including members of UT LIFESTAR, received the Star of Life Award from the Children’s Emergency Care Alliance. The Alliance recognizes exceptional front-line care across eight EMS regions in Tennessee. “I was able to walk into that ceremony and personally thank them for not giving up,” Jason said.
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