The Hungarian Peacekeeper Has Saved a Life

“The other day I was driving my service car with UN marking on it, heading back to the camp from the HQ after working hours, when a car coming the other way suddenly swerved into the path of the biker who was going ahead of me and hit him. The biker flew more than ten meters. Naturally, I stopped immediately, rushed to the man lying on the ground, asking those traveling in my car to secure the scene and notify the ambulance and the police", WO1 Horváth said. She also told us that the man was conscious but broke his arm, which was plain to see, but it was to be feared that he had suffered other internal injuries in consequence of the accident.

“I was holding the injured man’s head in my arm, trying to fix the broken limb with my other hand, and I spent 40 minutes or so in this half-kneeling position until the ambulance arrived", the Hungarian peacekeeper said.

Although WO1 Ágnes Horváth is currently serving in a logistical position as support NCO with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), she has medical qualification. She had previously worked in the HDF Military Hospital Institute of Health as a nurse, and currently serves in Hungary on the staff of the NATO Center of Excellence for Military Medicine (NATO MILMED COE).

“All the past experience that I had gained as a health care worker came back in a second, so I was well aware what I was supposed to do. Fortunately, I was not scared at all, which is very important in a situation like this", the first warrant officer told us. The Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) arriving on the scene of the accident praised WO1 Horváth for her composure, and thanked her for the help.

The injured man underwent surgery immediately after hospitalization. All that Ágnes knows about his condition is that he is getting well and it seems he will recover without permanent injuries.

Photo: UNFICYP HUNCON and archive