Getting close to home

Earlier this year, LifeFlight's Tim Bell and Joe Cobble helped save the life of Ines Espinosa, a 19-year member of the Huff & Puff Trucking family, a Cannon County business.

Espinosa was critically injured in an auto accident in Warren County on Jan. 1.

Melodie Daniel, who, with her husband, Bruce, owns Huff & Puff Trucking, said, "Ines was airlifted to Vanderbilt Hospital in critical condition. During the flight in the helicopter, he needed a direct airway and had to have a trach put in by someone on the flight team.

"He was in ICU at Vanderbilt for three weeks. The doctors were very impressed that the flight team was able to trach him with the amount of blood he had pooling in his abdomen. They told us that whoever was on the flight team had to be a veteran and basically saved his life. Bruce and I wanted to meet the flight team and thank them personally.

"One day while visiting Ines at the hospital, members of a flight team were waiting at the elevator. I asked if there was any way we could find out who was on a certain flight because we wanted to meet them. They had already heard we wanted to meet the attendant and told us that it was Tim Bell.

"I asked if it was the Tim Bell from Woodbury, and they said yes. Needless to say, emotions took over, and I started to cry, telling them I had actually taught him in elementary school.

"Tim was there that day and came to Ines' room to meet us. Tim apologized for hurting him but told him it was necessary to save his life. Ines gave him a thumbs up and shook his head. Ines is forever grateful to have had Tim on that flight," said Daniel.