A Georgia man paralyzed from the neck down from a car crash in a third world country had the presence of mind to tell paramedics there how to care for him.
Not long before he went on vacation to Trinidad and Tobago, Justin Lake finished his EMT training. What he learned there -- and how quickly his family was able to get him home -- may have been the difference between life and death.
Lake is currently undergoing treatment at the Shepherd Center for the devastating injuries he suffered in Tobago after a drunk driver hit him.
"Came over the top of the hill and just slammed into the back of us, going about 80 to 100 probably," said Lake.
The crash compressed his spin and broke five vertebrae.
"I can just remember laying in the backseat, being about as helpless as I possibly could be. Couldn't really yell or talk or anything. Just being paralyzed," said Lake.
In those moments of incredible fear, Justin realized that the first responders caring for him had never seen anything like this, so he directed them on what to do.
"And I was just trying to walk him through it, pretty much just on pure adrenaline, knowing this is my legs,knowing how bad my injuries are going to be is determined in these few minutes of c-spine stabilization," said Lake.
His parents back home soon got the news.
"It was really a life or death situation that they get him back here," said Larry Lake, Justin's father.
Justin described conditions in his first hospital as horrific. Doctors at the second didn't discover all his injuries. It wasn't until he was back in Georgia that Justin felt like he was in capable hands.
"We know that God has him here for a reason, and he knows that, so we're going to build from that," said his mother, Linda Lake.
Now in physical therapy, Justin says his lowest point is behind him.
"People think that they're healing me, you know, ‘You're going to be better when you leave.' It's not like that. They're preparing me, if this is what I'm going to be like for the rest of my life," said Justin Lake.
Right now Justin can control his head, his shoulders and arms. He's hoping to expand that to his hands. He says he hopes his story inspires anyone traveling to a third world country to have an emergency plan in place.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:00 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:00:05 GMT
Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert for a 1-year-old girl after she was found safe.
Authorities have canceled an Amber Alert for a 1-year-old girl after she was found safe. They say 1-year-old Annya Buchannon was in the back of a car that was stolen just after midnight from the Playskool Daycare on Conley Road in Forest Park.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:57 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:57:46 GMT
Five people made a quick escape from a MARTA bus just before it was hit by a train Tuesday morning.
Five people made a quick escape from a MARTA bus just before it was hit by a train Tuesday morning. Fire crews say the bus stalled on the railroad tracks in downtown Decatur, and those onboard had just seconds to get out before an oncoming train hit it.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 10:48 PM EDT2013-05-22 02:48:00 GMT
Local families are taking a serious look at storm shelters in the aftermath of Monday's deadly tornado in Oklahoma.
Local families are taking a serious look at storm shelters in the aftermath of Monday's deadly tornado in Oklahoma. Those shelters could mean the difference between life and death when faced with one of these powerful storms.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 9:45 AM EDT2013-05-22 13:45:52 GMT
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Jersey shore town is celebrating a milestone as it rebuilds from Superstorm Sandy. Belmar officials will reopen their 1.3-mile boardwalk that was destroyed by the October storm.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:23 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:23:21 GMT
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race.
Ex-congressman Anthony Weiner whose career imploded after raunchy tweets said in a YouTube video announcement that he's in the New York City mayoral race. A poll released Wednesday placed Weiner in second place behind City Council Speaker Christine Quinn in a Democratic primary.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 8:10 AM EDT2013-05-22 12:10:21 GMT
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Commuter rail service from Connecticut to New York City, along with Amtrak service between Boston and New York, was back on schedule Wednesday morning on one of the nation's oldest and most heavily traveled railways.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:42 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:42:24 GMT
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
The National Weather Service is looking into whether a tornado touched down in a rural eastern New York county during a series of severe thunderstorms that rumbled across the upstate region.
Wednesday, May 22 2013 7:09 AM EDT2013-05-22 11:09:33 GMT
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police.
The NYPD arrested a suspect in the latest anti-gay attack in the city, said police. The incident Monday night involved two men, who police say, had met at the Bowery Mission and went out drinking together in the East Village. Roman Gornell, 39, was arrested on Wednesday.
Tuesday, May 21 2013 9:51 PM EDT2013-05-22 01:51:10 GMT
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
Just a few days after Mark Carson, 32, was killed for being gay, and only a few hours after a massive rally in the west village calling for an end to the anti-gay violence, it happened again.
Justin Lake was paralyzed from the neck down from a car crash in Tobago.
