My name is Thomas Perry. I am a paramedic with American Medical Response ambulance service.

Recently, while on duty just on the outskirts of Natchez, my partner and I happened upon a car crash that appeared to have just occurred. The driver of the vehicle apparently had been thrown from the car and two small children were inside buckled in their safety seats

A number of caring and selfless individuals stopped and provided assistance until back-up and law enforcement arrived. Regrettably, I do not know the names of the young couple who immediately began to comfort the children or the two gentlemen who tirelessly provided extra assistance by bringing supplies and equipment from our ambulance to my partner and me as we worked on steep, uneven terrain.

I do know one of those kind and generous people who stopped to help: Mark Porter, aka “Country Boy,” a local radio celebrity. Smoke began to come from the crashed vehicle and Mark spotted it. Immediately, with his bare hands, he pulled apart the car’s hood and extinguished the fire.

Mark and the others were indeed heroes at that scene.

As emergency medical technicians, we see a lot of tragedy. I can’t tell you how gratifying it is to see such active compassion and concern for our fellow man. Seeing people respond to the needs of others reinforces, for me, the general good of mankind.

Thomas Perry, NREMT-P

American Medical Response, Natchez