An Indiana teacher will be forever grateful to his students and a fellow staffer after they jumped into action to save his life during a scary accident in class.
Don Criswell, a building trades teacher for New Castle Community Schools, was working with a group of high school students at a construction site in September when the incident unfolded, according to NBC affiliateWTHR.
While teaching the students, Criswell stepped on an unsecured board and plummeted nine feet down, falling head-first onto the concrete ground, the outlet reported.
“That’s the last thing I remember,” Criswell told WTHR.
“I took off my sweatshirt and helped wrap my sweatshirt and helped hold their sweatshirts onto his head,” student Brendon Powell told the outlet.
“He kept trying to fight to get up, thinking he was going to walk it off like it was another fall,” said student Gage Reno.
Mackenzie Jackson, the director of New Castle’s Career Center, added to the outlet, “I immediately called 911 when I was running to get to him.”
The Henry County Sheriff’s Department eventually showed up at the scene, where officers grew worried about Criswell’s fate, WTHR reported.
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Fortunately, Criswell made it to the hospital and was treated for his injuries. Now he wears a neck brace, which he’ll need until January, according to WTHR.
“I’m standing here and we’re having a conversation and I’m just glad to do it,” the teacher told the outlet on Monday, exactly six weeks after the accident.
“I’m grateful to these three people right here,” Criswell told the crowd, per WTHR.
The teacher said he “loves these boys because they’re of great value.”
“We may not have Don if it wasn’t for their quick action and leadership,” added Superintendent Dr. Matthew Shoemaker.
With only a few more weeks to go until his neck brace can be removed, Criswell said he has a new perspective on life.
“It’s a wonderful day to be alive,” he told WTHR.
source: people.com
