By the time Goodwin reached Melinda, her situation was critical. She was rapidly losing blood, and a makeshift belt someone had tied around her leg wasn’t enough to stop the arterial bleeding. She was slipping into unconsciousness.
“The belt wasn’t stopping the arterial bleed,” Goodwin later said. “There wasn’t time to wait.”
For 22 long minutes, Goodwin worked under intense pressure, relying on his military trauma experience to keep her alive until emergency services could arrive. Witnesses stood in shock as he calmly but urgently tended to her injuries, giving her a fighting chance in what could easily have been a fatal situation.
Praise from Trauma Surgeons and Witnesses Alike
When paramedics arrived, they were met with a scene that resembled a battlefield — and a patient who was still alive, thanks to the fast and skilled response of a Marine who had been off-duty.
Melinda was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, and trauma surgeons later credited Goodwin’s efforts as the reason she survived. They described his quick thinking and medical intervention as “some of the best battlefield-style trauma care ever seen outside of a war zone or hospital.”
“He didn’t freeze. He didn’t hesitate. He just ran straight into danger,” said one eyewitness. “He saved her life.”
Going Beyond the Call of Duty
But Goodwin’s heroism didn’t stop once the ambulances left the scene.
In the days and weeks that followed, he continued to check in on Melinda. He visited her in the hospital, followed her recovery progress, and offered his support to her family. What began as a life-saving act on the road grew into a lasting connection built on compassion and humanity.
Reflecting on the event, Goodwin remained humble. “By God’s grace, I was there at the right time — and I didn’t get killed in the process,” he said. “I just did what I was trained to do.”
