Recognizing Jake Woodard's Bravery and Heroism

Floor Speech

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Mr. FITZPATRICK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an outstanding constituent from my district, Jake Woodard. Late in the evening on the day after Christmas, with freezing temperatures, Pennsbury High School Junior, Jake Woodard's family was driving home from a holiday party. As they were driving, Jake, a certified lifeguard and member of Pennsbury's JROTC program, noticed a car had pulled over to the side and a man was lying on the ground. A woman was waving for help. Jake immediately demanded that his dad pull the car over so he could help.

Jake got out of the car, and he immediately came to the aid of the man on the ground. Apparently, the man had been walking on the sidewalk and hit a large patch or ice that was about three inches thick and landed on his back, likely hitting his head on the ground.

A woman and her son had seen the man and pulled over. However, as they were unsure how to help him, they waved down Jake's car for help. As the adults stood around questioning what to do, Jake took a knee and began speaking to the man by identifying himself and telling him he was there to help. The man told him his name and stated he had been on the ground for about 15 minutes. As the man was groaning in pain and stating that he couldn't move, Jake advised the man not to move. After a few minutes, the man lost consciousness, and as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, his tongue also rolled to the back of his throat. Jake reached into the man's mouth and cleared his airway to ensure he could properly breathe.

As they waited for the EMTs to show up, Jake continued to take the man's pulse and repeatedly checked that the man was still breathing all while saying ``Dan, you are going to be okay, but you need to stay with us.''

When the EMTs showed up, Jake immediately told them what had happened, how long he had been there, and included the rate of his pulse and breathing. As the EMTs stabilized the man's neck, Jake continued to speak to the unconscious man, Dan, telling him help was here, and that he needed to try and wake up.

When the EMTs struggled to get the man onto the gurney because of the thick ice, they asked Jake to assist. He reached under the man's lower back and legs, and as best he could he kept him stable while assisting the man onto the gurney. The man never regained consciousness, but Jake made sure the man didn't move, was still breathing, and made sure he knew he wasn't alone.

When it was all said and done, Jake's mom proudly hugged her son, and asked him how he knew what to do. He said lifeguarding taught him what to do and JROTC taught him why to do it, as he stated it was his duty to help.

We are all incredibly grateful for the bravery and heroism of Jake Woodard and all that he does for our community.

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