Paramedic rescued teen hit by a train and spent 6 years wondering if he survived — then his wife showed him a video
He was just 16 when he had this train accident
Trigger Warning: This article contains themes of substance abuse that some readers may find distressing.
Sometimes, the right person shows up at the exact moment they’re needed, and life finds a way to bring those stories full circle when you least expect it. Six years ago, one paramedic lent a helping hand to a teenage boy named Sky when he was lying helpless in a desert, tossed and injured by a moving train. For over two weeks after he transported Sky to the hospital, he kept on wondering what had happened to him. While the hospital refused to share any details, recently, his wife showed him a video from social media that stopped him in his tracks. In a May 6 Instagram reel, Sky (@itsjustsssky) shared a recording of a phone call he'd been waiting for over 6 years.
A concerning scene
The paramedic, who was also the Fire Department's captain at the time, had his first encounter with 16-year-old Sky after being alerted that someone had been hit by a train. When he reached the scene, Sky was lying about 10 to 15 feet away, illuminated by the beam of his flashlight. Once rescued, he took Sky to the hospital, where he kept waiting for details day after day, but was given none. When one nurse told him Sky had been discharged, the paramedic wondered if it was because he was going home, or otherwise. The thought ate at him until one day, his wife showed him a reel on Instagram. Turns out, it was Sky!
An unexpected phone call
The paramedic immediately reached out to Sky, and the two got on a phone call. “We are all looking at you, and we’re all kind of processing what we are looking at here. It was a pretty impressive scene,” he later described to Sky. “Your right leg from your pelvis down to [his] knee was just ground beef, exposed muscles, skin kind of lying everywhere, bone fragments, I mean, it was gruesome,” he elaborated.
His 'fun' intention led to chaos
Intoxicated, Sky tried to jump on a train while it was still moving. His balance toppled, and he got hit by the train. There he lay for hours, screaming so somebody could find him. Only two years earlier, he had lost his mother, who had committed suicide after losing her apartment, and he never imagined that the emptiness he was trying to fill from this experience would be replaced with the new trauma. Being a drug addict added even more suffering. Although he survived, he lost one of his legs and now wears a prosthetic leg. The phone call from the man who saved his life gave him an “unexplainable feeling,” as he described in the video. “If it wasn’t for the first responders, I wouldn’t be where I am today,” Sky exclaimed.
How traumatic experiences shape us
Research published in Cambridge University Press’s Psychological Medicine journal surveyed individuals from 24 countries based on the World Mental Health Survey Consortium and found that over 70% of adults reported at least one lifetime traumatic event, with 30.5% experiencing four or more. In Sky’s life, his mother’s loss, followed by his accident, were major trauma-inducing events, but he found a way to move forward.
His life aligns with what psychologists call the “Post-traumatic Growth (PTG).” A study published in the Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science surveyed 382 adult individuals between July and October 2020. Analysis revealed that despite the high initial stress, trauma survivors can experience growth given that they cultivate psychological flexibility, present-moment awareness, cognitive defusion, values-based actions, and committed action.
Viewers called this phone call a “full circle moment.” @4door_twinksz said, “He was the start of your new journey. God placed him in the right place at the right time for your story to change!” @greyman505 added, "Over 20 years in EMS, never had a call like that! Very cool to hear."
You can follow Sky (@itsjustsssky) on Instagram for motivational and uplifting videos.
If you or anyone you know needs help with substance abuse, please reach out to 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
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