March Airman among first responders in Lucerne Valley tragedy

  • Published
  • By Megan Just
  • 452 AMW Public Affairs
MARCH AIR RESERVE BASE, Calif. --  Airman First Class Gabriel Grohowsky, a communication navigation system maintenance specialist with the 452nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at March Air Reserve Base, was among the first responders in a rollover crash that killed eight people and injured 12 during an off-road race near Lucerne Valley, Calif., Aug. 14.

The 200-mile night race was part of the Mojave Desert Race series and it had barely begun when Airman Grohowsky witnessed a truck lose control on an obstacle known as "the rockpile." The truck flew into a crowd of spectators at an estimated speed of 40-50 mph.

"As it landed, it pointed into the crowd and flipped over on top of them," Airman Grohowsky said.

He recalls being shocked for just a few seconds before knowing he had to help the people who were strewn across the ground.

"Who do I go to first? There are so many people. What do I do?" Airman Grohowsky remembers thinking as he approached.

Airman Grohowsky, trained in first aid and CPR during a college course and again at Basic Military Training, assessed victims and moved past those whose injuries were not life threatening.

"It was such a mess," he said. "Just chaotic. It was like a riot. Everyone was freaking out and starting to get into fights. They started rolling the truck back over, but they were rolling it on more people."

Airman Grohowsky stopped to provide care when he reached an unresponsive young woman bleeding from her ears, nose and mouth.

"I had a couple of other people help me roll her on to her side to clear her airway," he said. "Her pulse started getting weaker and weaker and eventually it stopped. I started giving her CPR."

Sadly, he was unable to revive her.

"I didn't want to give up," he said. "But I knew there wasn't much I could do with a head injury like that."

After the young woman passed away, Airman Grohowsky administered care to others. When the ambulances arrived, he helped carry victims and prioritize those who needed air evacuation.

Off-road racing
Airman Grohowsky grew up in Hesperia, Calif., a Mojave Desert city where off-road racing is popular. He's been watching MDR races for more than ten years.

Airman Grohowsky said off-road racing courses are set in vast expanses of open desert where the route is sparsely marked with ribbons and stakes. The obstacles are natural and the courses are grueling.

"There's a lot of crashes and break downs. The object is to finish," he said.

The Aug. 14 race was considered a short course, with four trips around a 50-mile loop. Some races exceed 1,000 miles and can last all day.

Airman Grohowsky, a dirt bike racer who is starting to pursue off-road racing himself, describes the races as being a thrill to watch.

"It inspires me because it's something I want to do," he said. "It takes a lot for the trucks to be able to go through the desert as fast as they do. You're going over 3-foot jumps and bumps and holes and the truck can go through that at 90 to 100 miles an hour."

Like fans of sports such as hockey and NASCAR, off-road racing fans enjoy seeing lots of action. The crowds gather at points in the course close to the main access roads that contain interesting obstacles.

"People go to where there's a lot of crashes. The spectators want to see someone flip or break down," he said.

Although there are frequent wrecks, Airman Growhosky said the drivers of the vehicles are well protected. Regulations require all vehicles to be equipped with safety features and pass an inspection before races.

"It's hard to get hurt in there. You're in a full roll cage vehicle with harnesses, racing seats, neck brace and helmet," he said.

The obstacle where the Aug. 14 tragedy occurred is a well known feature called "the rockpile." It is located near the first mile marker on the course. Airman Grohowsky describes it as a natural vein of rocks on the down slope of a hill that creates a lip for trucks to jump from. He considers the feature a relatively minor one.

Preparing for the unexpected
It wasn't until the day after the crash Airman Grohowsky considered what a close call he himself had experienced that night.

Just before the start of the race, he and his friends walked from the side of the course where they had been standing, to their campsite. They were returning to the join the crowd at the rockpile when they saw the truck launch into the air. Airman Grohowsky estimates he was 100 feet from the spot the truck landed.

"I would have definitely been right there where it happened," Airman Grohowsky said. "God was looking over me at the time."

He said the days following the accident were difficult for him. He kept wondering if there was anything he could have done differently to save the young woman's life.

"I try to stay busy to keep my mind off of it," he said. "I did all that I could do at the time and I've got to live with that. It was her time to go. It was out of my control."

That night, after the young woman's sister was taken to the hospital, Airman Grohowsky made calls to the women's mother, giving her updates and trying to help her calm down.

"I knew she would want to be right there, but she couldn't be," he said.

Airman Grohowsky's supervisor, Master Sgt. David Murillo, learned about Grohowky's Aug. 14 actions at the 452nd Aircraft Maintenance Squadron supervisor's meeting Aug. 15.

"If I'm ever called upon like that I really hope I react the same way," Sergeant Murillo said. "It's eye opening and it makes you think."

Sergeant Murillo said Grohowsky's exemplary response is a reminder for Airmen to take their CPR and Self Aid Buddy Care training seriously. "You don't know when it's going to be that one time when you need it and it's for real," he said.

"You don't know when it's going to happen to your family or anyone," Airman Grohowsky echoed. "You never know when it can happen."

Airman Grohowsky said everyone who is able should become CPR and first aid certified and those who are already certified should keep their training fresh. He also noted that even untrained bystanders can help in with mass casualty satiations by controlling crowds, calming the chaos and gathering supplies that can be used to treat injuries.