Immediate intervention by two Columbus East High School students likely helped save the life of a fellow classmate on the first day of school on Friday.
East sophomore Clayton Smith was injured in a “freak accident” involving a glass window, and two students came to his aid to stop the bleeding, said his older sister Bridget Stepper. This quick thinking “literally saved Clayton’s life,” Stepper said.
Sophomore Justice Harrell was one of the two students who came to Clayton’s aid, said his mother Teresa Maxey.
Tabitha Poling, also a sophomore, also helped out, said her mother, Sabrina Washburn.
BCSC Communications Coordinator Josh Burnett gave a similar account of Friday events but did not name the students involved.
The incident took place during lunch on Friday, when some students were tossing a football back and forth in the school’s outside courtyard, he said.
“One of our students caught a pass and was trying to stop himself from going into the wall, the window area, because everything’s kind of glass up there,” he said. “… He was running so fast that he ran into the window and (his) arm went through the glass and ended up getting cut pretty badly.”
“He (Clayton) went to catch a pass, got pushed to prevent him from getting a touchdown and just happened to get pushed in the direction of windows,” said Stepper. “He tried to catch himself when he went straight through it.”
She said that, according to what she’s heard from the school and the two students involved, “Everyone else ran away from the incident and only those two (rescuers) ran toward him.”
A male student yelled that he needed something to stop the bleeding, and another student handed him her sweatshirt, which he used as a “makeshift tourniquet,” Stepper said.
“His quick thinking literally saved Clayton’s life,” she added. “The brachial artery runs through the arm and it was severed.”
Burnett said that by doctors’ accounts, the two intervening students did exactly what needed to be done, and without their help, “it could have been a potentially life-threatening situation.”
“These two students are really heroes,” he said.
The students also made sure staff were aware of the situation, and school resource officer Julie Quesenbery called an ambulance, Burnett said. The ambulance then took the student to the hospital, and after hearing about the incident, Superintendent Jim Roberts visited him.
“He had five tendons and one nerve in his left hand repaired,” Stepper said. “He severed everything in his right arm except for the bone and the one major nerve that runs along the back of the arm. His right arm was the one he caught himself with as he was falling through the window.”
The injured student is recovering at home, school officials said. He’s also hoping to video chat with his two peers to thank them for their help.
Stepper said that her brother has no use of either arm at this time. Clayton’s left hand is in a splint, as two of the affected tendons are attached to his fingers and have to be kept immobile as they heal. His right arm will be in a hinged splint for several months.
“He is due to start undergoing therapy and physical exercise to keep his arm from accumulating scar tissue in the elbow and prevent him from never being able to use his arm from full capacity,” she said. “The doctors have said so far that as long as he works his arm daily with small movements to a certain degree he will regain full use, but essentially only time will tell at this point.”
Clayton will also need to wear button up shirts for the time being, as he can’t lift either arm, and the school has said they will provide these.
Burnett said that East Principal Mark Newell is “really proud of the response by our students.”
“With situations where there is an accident like this, people can sometimes — they don’t know exactly what to do and how to handle it,” Burnett said. “And these students acted quickly. They did the right thing by helping their fellow student, and then they got with our teachers, administrative staff, and they did exactly what they needed to do in order to help the student get the care that he needed. And that’s just really a testament to how great these students were.”
Stepper added, “We are beyond thankful for the two students that ran into the face of danger because that’s not something you normally see from a child.”
